Two Tivos To Paradise 07.24.09

Posted by Al Norton on 07.24.2009

Futurama may sound different, Paula Abdul has contract issues with American Idol, Lifetime makes big plans for Project Runway, Shaq gets a reality show, Jorja Fox returns to CSI, raves for Ruby and the Rockits, tons of news and notes, the TV Pick of the week and more, all in the latest edition of Al Norton's Two Tivos To Paradise!

Hello Friends. I saw my first movie of 2009 this past weekend - hey, you try getting to the movies with two newborn babies around – and LOVED The Hangover. If Robert Downey, Jr. can get a (much deserved) Oscar nomination for Tropic Thunder then Zach Galifianakis should get one for his performance in The Hangover.

This Sunday is my and Mrs. Tivo's 9 year date-a-versary, as it was July 26th, 2000 that we had our first date. A dinner at a cute little diner-esque place in Allston called Six Burner (sadly, it doesn't exist anymore) followed by a walk to JP Licks for ice cream. I've got something special planned but don't want to give it away here as she has been known to read this column on (rare) occasion.

I had interviews with Grace Park (The Cleaner, Battlestar Galactica) and Christian Kane (Leverage, Angel) run on the site this week; use the links at the bottom of the column to pull them up.

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side, it's the news.

I Study Nuclear Science, I Love My Classes
Futurama is returning to the small screen but it may be with a new set of actors providing the voices after 20th TV was unable to come to terms with the talent who originated the characters. The actors were offered small increases from their previous rates but are apparently seeking a big bump in pay. Cancelled in 2002 by Fox, the show's was revived thanks to reruns, DVD sales, and several made-for-TV movies. Comedy Central has ordered 26 episodes for the new season, although it's possible the show could air on network TV first; Comedy Central and 20th TV are open to a deal since it would cut down on production costs.

While you never want to take anything for granted, this type of thing has happened before with animated series and everything worked out fine. Fox hired casting directors to find new voices for The Simpsons back in 1998 before a new deal was signed, and the 2004 and 2008 seasons of the show had fewer episodes than usual because of negotiations with the actors. On the negative side is that Billy West has had contract standoffs before that led to him leaving projects, most notably the Howard Stern show.

Fans of the show have already started mobilizing, with web petitions circulating to let the producers know just how much they want the original voices back. Some reports have the new casting directors receiving threats from overzealous Futurama viewers. This is obviously going too far – if you are doing this you left "going too far" in your rear view sometime ago – but it does show the passion fans of the show feel and the excitement that is building among them for new episodes of the series.

Wouldn't Like To Get My Love Caught In The Slammin' Door, How About Some Information, Please?
Paula Abdul's agent told the LA Times that he did not think she would be returning as a judge for American Idol's upcoming 9th season. "It does not appear that she's going to be back on Idol" was the direct quote he gave while also going on to say Abdul felt hurt and disrespected by the fact that Idol producers had yet to even make her a new contract offer despite the fact that taping of the audition episodes are due to start next month. Also playing a role in her frustration is the $15 million per season contract recently signed by Ryan Seacrest and the huge payday rumored to be coming to fellow judge Simon Cowell shortly.

While this is all just posturing to me – especially since Abdul's agent just signed her as a client in the last several months so is trying to generate as much publicity as possible – there is no doubt that it would be a risk for Idol, the top rated show on TV for 8 seasons running, to tamper with the chemistry at this point. It was one thing to get rid of Brian Dunkleman after season one, and a different kind of risk in adding new judge Kara DioGuardi last season, but Abdul's crazy rantings and her odd, 3rd grade boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with Cowell, are a huge part of what the show is known for.

Could they go with DioGuardi as a cheaper, and perhaps more predictable third judge? Sure, but my guess is shortly before the audition episodes are set to begin taping there will be an announcement made about a two or three year deal for Paula. If she were to leave you would see other networks lining up to base their own singing and/or dancing competition show around her.

I Had Nothing To Do On This Hot Afternoon But To Settle Down And Write You A Line
Lifetime is pulling out all the stops for the August 20th premiere of Project Runway, coming to the network after a 5 season run on Bravo. Leading in to the 10 pm premiere that night will be Project Runway: All Star Challenge, a winner-take-all $100,00 challenge that marks the first time the show has brought together participants from different seasons to compete against each other. The contestants are Daniel (season 2), Santino (season 2), Jeffrey (season 3), Uli (season 3), Mychael (season 3), Chris (season 4), Sweet P (season 4), and Korto (season 5). The premiere episode of the show's sixth season will air at 10 pm, followed by the debut of a new PR spin off series, Models of the Runway at 11 pm. This new show will feature 16 models competing for $25,000, a fashion spread in Marie Clare, and the chance to work with the Runway winner.

With all the legal wrangling behind them, Lifetime can focus on pushing the hell out of their new show, which is easily the biggest acquisition in the history of the network and could go a long way towards helping them take the next step up the ratings and awareness ladder. One thing that will help the show that Lifetime has had nothing to do with is the overwhelming mediocrity – at best – of The Fashion Show, the knock off that Bravo just finished airing as a way to try and replace Runway; all it did was make fans realize how much they missed the original.

The media blitz surrounding Runway's Lifetime debut has already started and will reach super-saturation levels once we hit mid-August. With the rock solid success of Army Wives and the positive reviews of Drop Dead Diva, Lifetime is counting on Runway to expose its programming to a host of new viewers.

So Many Times It Happens Too Fast, You Trade Your Passion For Glory
ABC and Shaquille O'Neal are teaming up for Shaq Vs., a new reality show that finds the future NBA Hall of Famer going head to head with some of the world's top athletes in the sports that are their specialty. The series premieres on August 18th with Shaq jumping in the pool to do battle with Olympic hero Michael Phelps, and in future weeks he will compete against Ben Roethlisberger (football), Oscar De La Hoya (boxing), Serena Williams (tennis), Albert Pujols (baseball), and Kerri Williams and Misty May-Treaner (beach volleyball). Each episode will follow Shaq as he trains for the event, and the other competitor in the contest will be given a handicap to try and even out the odds.

Color me crazy but I think this sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Shaq is a very funny and engaging guy and I can see him really throwing himself into this and making it highly entertaining. It helps that the athletes they've lined up to participate are both well known and extremely good at what they do, and my guess is that you'll come away even more impressed with their abilities. This looks like quality mindless summer programming and I know I will be tuning in.

Afternoon In The Homeroom, They're About To Let You Go, And The Locker Slams On The Plans You Had Tonight
This is the debut of a new recurring feature here at TTTP, one where we will be trying to give you an inside look at how a show gets on the air. Sex Ed: The Series will have a pilot presentation at the International TV Festival in LA next month. What follows is part one of a Q & A with the show's creator, Ernie Vecchione.

TTTP: What's the pitch meeting version of Sex Ed: The series?

EV: It's "The Breakfast Club" meets "Sex and in the City." The show follows eight very different college students enrolled in a class called "Sexuality Today." They think it's going to be easy but the professor, for reasons of her own, is going off the book this year. She's going to force them to look at themselves in a new way, which she does with their first assignment: to pair up and make clay sculptures of each others' genitals.

TTTP: Give me an idea of what you were up to career-wise before you started this project.

EV: I had written scripts for HBO and Miramax, but nothing came of that. I was teaching screenwriting in Philadelphia and feeling pretty restless.

TTTP: How did the idea of the show come to you and how much tweaking did you do from that original eureka moment to what you ended up going with?

EV: At the time, my sister was in the hospital for ameloblastoma. So to keep my mind distracted I wanted to write something funny. The sex ed premise just made me laugh, and the more different I made the characters, the easier the writing became. Originally I was planning this as a web series but it expanded into a full fledged pilot. It took six weeks from idea to finished script.

TTTP: So, you finish your script...And then what?

EV: I had the DIY bug. I was going to finance it. This would be my first produced project, so I wanted to get it right. With HD cameras more available, I knew there was an opportunity to get a professional look to the show. But I couldn't direct. I searched for a director in Philadelphia, someone who could give the show a cinematic look. I didn't see a match so I expanded my search to New York and Los Angeles. I ended up posting an ad on Craigslist.

Next week in part two we'll talk about how CL led to finding a director and how they got financing and a cast. For more information on Sex Ed: The Series – and to see a trailer - please visit www.sexedtheseries.com.

But You Were Up To Your Old Tricks In Chapters Four Five And Six
All you need to know about the Nielsen's for the past week (or so)…There were three winners in the late night wars two weeks ago (the data comes in slower for late night); Nightline had the most total viewers (averaging 3.8 million), The Late Show topped The Tonight Show head-to-head (3.7 million to 2.8 million) and Conan topped Dave in the coveted demos, although Dave is certainly gaining on him there…Leverage returned to 3.9 million viewers, and the premiere of Dark Blue that followed held on to a strong 91% of its lead-in audience…Friday's Disney three way was the most watched scripted cable broadcast of the year, averaging 9.3 million over the 90 minute telecast. And by "three way" I mean a cross-over event featuring characters from Hannah Montana, The Wizards of Waverly Place, and The Suite Life on Deck. To give you an idea of how well the special did, CBS was in second place for that same period on Friday night with 4 million less viewers. This is the third time Disney has done an event like this, mixing characters from various hit shows, in the last four years, and it was far and away the most successful…The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All special won Monday night with 8.0 million, also winning the evening in the demos. That lead-in allowed the premiere of Dating in the Dark to win the 10:00 time slot and perform 30% in the demos then last week's finale of Here Come the Newlyweds did in the same slot..The premiere of Hell's Kitchen was watched by 6.6 million, giving Fox its best Tuesday night of the summer…America's Got Talent won Tuesday night with 13.8 million viewers, although it's margin of victory over Hell's Kitchen in the demos was only 300,000…

All The Young Dudes, Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…Jorja Fox will return to CSI for season premiere and at least four other episodes this fall. No word yet on if William Peterson will be appearing in any of those episodes (their characters were last seen together in Peterson's departure last season)…John Goodman has joined the cast of the Ben Stiller produced comedy The Station for Fox…Adam Beach, last seen on Law and Order: SVU, will be a semi-regular on the upcoming season of Big Love…TLC is developing One Big Happy Family, a reality series following the day-to-day lives of a morbidly obese family. The family in question consists of a Mother (35 years old, 400 pounds), Father (40 years old, 340 pounds), and two teenage children (boy & girl, 330 & 340 pounds). The network has ordered a six half hour episodes…Padma Lakshmi, the Emmy nominated host of Top Chef, has signed a development deal with NBC with the goal of being sitcom based around her. The basic plot being discussed is a single woman working in the culinary world, and Single Serving has been mentioned as a potential title…NBC has purchased the rights to the 13 episode first season of Persons Unknown, a drama about a group of strangers who wake up in a ghost town with no memory of how they got there and no idea as to why they are there or how to leave. The show has already been made and was previously sold to other countries. This is the third series that Fox TV Studios has produced internationally, following Mental (Fox) and the upcoming Defying Gravity (ABC)…Syfy announced the premiere date for Stargate Universe (October 2nd) as well as the return dates for two current series; Destination Truth (September 9th) and Sanctuary (October 9th )…Erica Christensen is filling the free time in her schedule since Parenthood got pushed back to mid-season by guesting on the season premiere of Lie To Me, playing a law student who has multiple personalities…Joely Richardson's Nip/Tuck gig won't get in the way of her joining the cast of The Tudors for the Showtime series' upcoming final season…E! ordered a 12 episode second season of Kendra…Speaking of renewals, Spike picked up a second season of Deadliest Warrior, with the network praising the shows ratings as well as the huge web traffic it brings in…The TV Guide Network will air reruns of Ugly Betty within two weeks of their original airing on ABC starting this fall. The network will air the show daily on with reruns of previous seasons starting in the fall of 2010…Jamie-Lynn Siegler will be doing multiple episodes of Ugly Betty (see what I did there?) this fall, her character being Daniel's new assistant…When The Jay Leno Show premieres in September it will mark the first time in 17 years that the host will be working with a new director. NBC hired former Late Show with Conan O'Brien director Liz Plonka to run the show; previously Ellen Brown had been Leno's director during his entire Tonight Show run…ABC shocked no one when they picked up a third season of Wipeout, scheduled for next summer… TBS has picked up an additional 46 episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne…Former ER showrunner David Zabel has signed with NBC to develop a legal drama at least somewhat based on his the many lawyers in his family…

Turns Out Not Where But Who You're With That Really Matters
The top thing I watched since the last column went to press AKA The Best Of What's Around…I tivo'd the premiere of ABC Family's Ruby and the Rockits because I try to watch the first episode of any/every new scripted show, and went in to it expecting to most likely click delete before I hit the first commercial break. What I most certainly did not expect was to be charmed by what was one of the best family sitcoms I have seen in some time.

The Ruby of the title is a teenager who is showing up unannounced to meet her Dad for the first time, he being half of a former 80's pop duo who is currently performing at an Indian Casino in Florida. The other half of that pop duo, the singer's brother, lives with wife and two kids nearby.

I know that may not sound like much but there are a few things you should know before casting judgment. First, the show is created by Shaun Cassidy, who has produced some pretty interesting shows over the years, including American Gothic, Invasion, and The Agency. Secondly, his brother David, who at one point was just about the biggest teenage pop star in the country, is cast as the Dad in question, giving some nice bite to the portrayal of a former singer trying to hold on to his past. And lastly, Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), who plays the title character, is really quite adorable without crossing over into annoying. And I didn't even mention that the other of the two adult brothers is played by Patrick Cassidy, whose last name is no coincidence.

I laughed out loud more than a couple of times and was impressed as the rather obvious plot developments that needed to be taken care of were handled quickly, setting up the basic premise of the show without making it seem like they were inventing the wheel. It was clear that tweens/teens and their parents could enjoy without feeling like they were doing the other a favor by watching with them, and there is not a lot of TV you can say that about. I mean it as a compliment when I say that Ruby could slide right into ABC's Friday night line up from years gone by without missing a beat, although it's more Boy Meets World than Family Matters (which also is meant as praise).

People Say I'm Crazy Doing What I'm Doing. Well, They Give Me All Kinds Of Warnings To Save Me From Ruin
What's flashed before my eyes the last few weeks…Very nice change of pace episode for Burn Notice, with a fresh look at Michael's ability to think on his feet. Sharon Gless continues to impress and I love what they have done with her character, the growth from season one as she learns more and more about what her son does for a living…The penultimate episode of Kings was riveting and made me both excited for this Saturday's finale and also sad that this fantastic show only got one season to tell its story…Bill Maher's closing monologue on Real Time this past Friday, comparing Michael Jackson to the current state of the country, was spot on and a reminder of why he and his writers are the best in the business at what they do…A truly memorable episode of The Closer this past Monday, one where the ensemble once again proved that they can go toe-to-toe with any cast on TV, and that includes the Mad Men and Lost's of the world. I've said it before and I'll say it again; The Closer is the best procedural show on TV right now…I like the Deadliest Catch clip shows that Discovery has been airing on Sunday nights, a great reminder of all that has gone on – and those we have lost – over the last few years…Rescue Me was laugh out loud funny this week – as it usually is – and also continued to lay the ground work for Tommy's eventual crash. Adam Ferrar is showing acting chops I did not know he had; the scene with him and Denis Leary at the beginning of the episode was top notch…Michael and Michael Have Issues premiere episodes was a riot, just the right mix of sketch comedy and insider humor…

TV Pick Of The Week
I was blown away when The Tonight Show welcomed the cast of Hair as a musical guest two weeks ago, both by the producers doing something that cool and also by the performance itself, which was amazing. Hair is one of my favorite musicals, although I have only seen the movie (many, many times) and not the stage version. All of this played a role in how happy I was to learn that Sundance Channel premieres Hair: Let The Sunshine In on Monday night, a documentary that covers the history of the play as well as the impact it had on the world, pop culture and otherwise. Over 30 million people saw it on stage in its initial run (1967 – 1972) and this special has footage from the original cast as well as interviews with those involved in that production. I am singing Frank Mills already.

Don't miss Hair: Let The Sunshine In, Monday at 9 pm on Sundance Channel.

Hope You Need My Love, Babe, Just Like I Need You
Here is some other noteworthy programming of the next seven days (most of your best options can be found above in our lead story)

*The final two stages of the Tour de France air Saturday (7 am) and Sunday (7:30 am) on Versus. It doesn't look like Lance is going to pull this one out but his goal of second place is still in sight.

*The series finale of Kings airs on Saturday night at 8 pm. I haven't been this saddened by a one season cancellation since Studio 60. Kings should have run on cable and enjoyed a 3 – 4 season life.

*Check out Kanye West live, Saturday at 9 pm on Fuse.

*Racing fans will be in front of their TV sets on Sunday afternoon watching the Nascar Sprint Cup at Indianapolis. Check out cars going in circles on ESPN at 1 pm.

*The Storm, NBC's newest disaster mini-series, has part one beam into your living room on Sunday night at 9 pm. If all the weather related damage isn't enough of a selling point, James Van Der Beek (Dawson!!!) and Treat Williams co-star.

*The season premiere of the suddenly quite hot Robot Chicken can be found on the Cartoon Network Sunday night at 11:30.

*The Bachelorette finale begins Monday at 8 pm on ABC. Who will she pick?!?!?

*P-Diddy isn't just putting together any band this time around, he's picking people to back him up on tour; Making His Band premieres Monday at 10 pm on MTV.

*Deadliest Catch wraps up its season Tuesday at 9 pm on Discovery.

*More to Love aka The Fatchelor (not my joke but it's how lots of people are referring to it) begins its summer run on Fox Tuesday at 9 pm. The network is claiming it's the first show to feature average sized Americans, as if to say they should be praised for doing so, but my guess is what we will see may be a tad more exploitive than they are letting on.

*The championship round of Top Chef: Masters begins Wednesday at 10 pm on Bravo.

*She's Got The Look picks its second season winner Thursday at 9 pm on TVLand.

*While I can proudly say I have never seen a minute of any of the Real Housewives of…series (other than the clips they show on The Soup and The Dish), I do understand that they are quite popular so I am doing my job and letting you know that The Real Housewives of Atlanta kicks off its second season Thursday at 10 pm on Bravo.

Two Tivos To Paradise
30 Days, 30 Rock, The Academy, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antiques Roadshow, Best Week Ever, Better Off Ted, Big Love, Bones, Breaking Bad, Brothers & Sisters, Burn Notice, Celebrity Apprentice, Cake Boss, Chopped, The Chris Isaak Hour, Chuck, The Closer, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Daddy's Girls, Damages, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, Dirty Sexy Money, The Dish, Entourage, Eureka, Everybody Hates Chris, Flipping Out, Gary Unmarried, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, Hung, Iron Chef America, Jon & Kate + 8, Last Restaurant Standing, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Lost, Mad Men, Make Me A Supermodel, Man v. Food, Medium, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Next Food Network Star, Nip/Tuck, The Office, One Tree Hill, Paranormal State, Party Down, Private Practice, Project Runway, Psych, Real Time With Bill Maher, Reaper, Rescue Me, Royal Pains, Rules Of Engagement, Run's House, Sanctuary, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, Shear Genius, Skins, So You Think You Can Dance?, Sons of Anarchy, The Soup, Southland, Sports Soup, Supernatural, Table For 12, Top Chef, Top Design, Torchwood, True Blood, Trust Me, Ugly Betty, Warehouse 13, Web Soup, Will Work for Food

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. Next week's column will feature all the latest news, part two of our behind the scenes look at how an independent show gets on the air, and the creator/executive producer of Oxygen's hit show Dance Your Ass Off will stop by for a couple of questions.

Don't forget to come back next Friday for all the news, and while you're at it, why not just bookmark the movies/TV page here at 411mania.com and make it that much easier for you to find your entertainment industry hook up!

Feedback is encouraged at [e-mail] as well via the comments section below.

Sources for this week's column include Daily Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, and Hollywood Reporter (plus the web sites for those publications) as well as Aintit.cool.com.