News that "Jericho" had been canceled by CBS didn't come as a big surprise here, although it did manage to pull me out of my work-related, forced writing hiatus.
The truth is for as fantastic and epic as the post-Apocalyptic series is, the ratings just aren't as strong as they should be. Of course, CBS likely did it to itself with the long break mid-season, but still the writing was on the wall … or was it?
Fans of "Jericho" have been proving they're serious about the show and their own desire to see it return. They've been delivering packages to the network, writing letters and jumping up and down to make sure CBS knows their desire to see the show live on.
Those efforts might be paying off. CBS appears to be looking into a way to give fans some closure. "We have read your e-mails over the past few days and have been touched by the depth and passion with which you have expressed your disappointment," wrote Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment. " In the coming weeks, we hope to develop a way to provide closure in the compelling drama that was the 'Jericho' story."
Here's hoping the efforts pay off with at least a movie. "Jericho" is a fantastic show that's compelling and timely. If anything, it was too timely for its own good.
The folks at NBC are really kicking up the action in regard to tonight's season ender for "My Name is Earl." To celebrate the show's successful second season run, the people behind it have a special event planned for fans.
A live blogging event is set to start tonight at 8:30 EST on the show's official site. Expected attractions include Greg Garcia, executive producer, and co-stars Jamie Pressly (Joy Turner) and Ethan Suplee (Randy Hickey).
The comedy centers on Earl, as he tries to right the wrongs in his life. On a mission to correct the past, Earl is joined by an amusing cast of characters.
Fans of the show can catch a sneak peek up on YouTube right now, and questions are already being taken for the blogging event. Fill out the form and you might just hear an answer tonight.
With more than 1 million American students dropping out of high school each year, the problem has reached epidemic proportions. MTV is trying to help lessen those numbers.
It intends to do so a number of ways, but one might be of particular interest to TV and film fans. "The Dropout Chronicles," an MTV documentary will debut May 9 on MTV2 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT with a sneak peek on MTV at 2 p.m. that day, as well.
The documentary follows three individuals, "facing unique obstacles and all on the brink of walking away from their high school diplomas.
"Sean, from Miami, finds school boring and often cuts class, but wants to make his father proud and become the first male in his family to graduate high school. Glendy, of the Bronx, has already been held back a year and faces a daunting daily commute just to get to school. Maxine, from San Diego, is only one exam away from her diploma…or so she thinks. Only one will graduate."
It's not 100 percent clear whether this documentary will make it into the online viewing arena, but it's one that's important enough it should.
In addition to the documentary, MTV also intends to take part in the National Summit on America's Silent Epidemic in Washington, D.C., May 9.
Sylar has a conscious? I didn't think that was possible.
But, it seems that little fact will be revealed soon along with the face of another new hero. Spoilers for tonight's episode of the hit NBC show are now available online.
I have to admit I didn't watch these personally, as I don't want to ruin the surprise for myself, but thanks do go out to the fine folks at 360i, I can share with those who don't mind a sneak peek at the action.
According to 360i, Sylar will prove his heart isn't completely blackened (although I find that one hard to believe). I suppose though that even the perfect villain has to slip up once in a while.
"Heroes" airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. EST on NBC and is available shortly thereafter on NBC.com, iTunes and a few other locations.
"Lost" fans can breath a little easier. The ABC show does have a set end in sight, but it's not coming any time soon.
According to an article on SyFy Portal, the show still has 48 episodes to go, which will air over the course of three mini-seasons. The JJ Abrams vehicle will end its third season shortly.
"I always said that we would allow the series to grow and give viewers the most compelling hour possible," Steve McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment, has been quoted as saying. "And, due to the unique nature of the series, we knew it would require an end date to keep the integrity and strength of the show consistent throughout, and to give the audience the payoff they deserve."
With some very unusual twists and turns, "Lost" has a strong and loyal fan following. Yet, the show has slumped in the ratings as of late.
The ending deal appears to be a bit of a compromise between producers and ABC that will allow the ending to be told the way the creative forces behind "Lost" desired.
While the ending being announced likely won't make some fans happy, the deal to preserve the integrity of the story is good news. Unlike other shows that have been forced to wrap up quickly, it sounds like "Lost" might not leave fans feeling that way.
The show airs on ABC on Wednesdays. It can be viewed online via iTunes and other locations, as well.
Comedian Dave Hill is coming to MOJO, formerly INHD, with the debut of "The King of Miami" on May 7.
The new comedy series has hill on a quest to become the monarch of Miami. "He'll acquire the most beautiful women, the most enviable wardrobe, the private jet, the $22 million mansion, and the cigarette speed boat all to become the toast of the town."
The "comedy-reality hybrid" puts real people in strange situations when the "King" holds his court in South Beach.
Hill himself was recently named one of the "10 Comics to Watch" by Variety magazine. He's been involved with The New York Times, HBO, VH1, Spike TV and more.
The show debuts May 7 at 9:30 p.m.
Clips and other information about the odd-sounding show can be found on MOJO's site.
The long-awaited online television platform created by the guys behind Skype has officially gone mostly live. Joost is up and running with new content ready to go.
The company announced its official soft launch earlier this week. Current Beta testers are now free to invite their friends, but the service isn't quite ready for the world it seems.
It enters the online game with a number of content partners, including Warner Bros. Records, National Geographic and more. Within the month other partners will come onboard, including Turner Broadcasting, the National Hockey League, Sony Pictures Television and more.
"Partners like Turner, Hasbro, NHL, Sony Pictures Television and SI Swimsuit represent the quality and wide range of programming that Joost offers viewers,” said Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, executive vice president of content strategy and acquisition for Joost in a media release. “From compelling news magazines and cool animation to current and classic sports games, comedy and entertainment, the Joost platform is a destination for audiences looking for great programming, a flexible entertainment experience, and a community with which to share that experience. By marrying great content from all genres and compelling, interactive features, Joost is a truly unique way for consumers to watch videos online.”
With its broadcast quality and free viewing options, Joost may very well shape up to be a force to be reckoned with.
Tonight's episode of "Heroes" will bring the series a little closer to its season one resolution.
As the show really kicks into high gear, videos, clips and spoilers for the series abound. NBC itself is even offering a few little spoilers via YouTube.
While I'm not one for spoilers, per say, the network's use of YouTube for promoting "Hereos" is really starting to intrigue me. In addition to sneak peeks, NBC has even created its own spoof for play on the site.
As I've said, I don't particularly love spoilers personally, but I am pretty impressed with how the promotions have been shaping up for this particular show. NBC's work on the website, blogs and videos has gone above and beyond. It seems to be paying off with viewer numbers, too.
While "Heroes" isn’t the first show to receive major online treatment, it might be one of the best example out there.
"Heroes" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC. Free episodes are available on the NBC site.
MySpace and Mark Burnett, the producer of "Survivor," are teaming up to bring a little bit of political pandering to the online community.
The new creation, "Independent," will be a reality offering designed to get young people interested in voting. Through the reality vehicle, contestants will vie for a cool million dollars to spend on a political cause or campaign.
According to San Jose Mercury News, contestants will discuss ideas online each day and will also have to set up their own MySpace pages dedicated to their campaigns. Potential participants will be selected from videos posted on MySpace.
Viewers and web users will also be able to get involved through "interactive town-hall settings."
This sounds like an interesting use of the Internet and MySpace – even if the show idea hasn't been picked up by a network as of yet. I have to admit, I'm not sure how interesting this would be played out on film, but still, it is a creative way to try and bring attention to the voting process, campaigning and politics in general.
AOL’s In2TV is making sure television fans have a chance to get back to the boob tube’s roots while they’re surfing the net.
The free television site has launched a slew of pilots from favorite series of days gone by. Some of the offerings include such things as the unaired pilot for “Gilligan’s Island,” which doesn’t have the theme song we all know and love – or love to hate.
Other pilots being offered include “Lois & Clark,” “Welcome Back, Kotter” and even “Joey.”
Those are some major blasts from the past.
The best part of it is the fact the shows are free. John Travolta, Joey Lawrence and Gilligan. Not a bad triple feature of old time TV.
I have to admit, In2TV isn’t the best online television site out there, but it sure does come up with some of the most quirky (and fun) promotions.
Last night's episode of "Heroes" might have left more than a few fans sitting with their jaws dropped, but that's what it's all about isn't it?
A show that pits good against evil can't really have a happy ending all the time for every character and consider itself a good show.
Creator Tim Kring is pretty surprised that fans didn't expect a little shake up.
"When you have a villain as vicious as Sylar, some characters have to pay the ultimate price," Kring has been quoted as saying. "We've set the bar high as a show that plays truthfully with the audience -- and we have to keep delivering on that."
For those who haven't watched, I won't go into what exactly happened last night, but suffice it to say, the "Heroes" universe is one that is proving to be in a constant state of flux, as Kring promised it would be.
Kring, like other good creators before him, isn't afraid to shock and even disappoint for the benefit of the story. That's what makes "Heroes" stand out in my mind.
"The entire cast knew going into 'Heroes' that story is king," Kring elaborated. If that remains the mantra, the last few weeks of season one should be more than entertaining.
"Heroes" can be seen on Mondays at 9 p.m. EST. It's also available on nbc.com by online viewers.
"Heroes" fans are no doubt breathing a collective sigh of relief today as the long-awaited return of NBC's hit show rolls out this evening.
When we last left the loveable misfit band of reluctant heroes, Peter was getting ready to face off with Sylar, while Mohinder's life hung in the balance – by the looks of it, quite literally. Linderman, too, had become much more than just a name. Now, unveiled, fans are still trying to figure out how this powerful, older gentleman with a nasty reputation for getting what he wants fits into the overall picture.
Will New York survive? What will become of Claire? What is up with Niki?
It sounds like a lot of those answers are coming our way, with perhaps some new questions to add into the mix. With only a few episodes left to go, the next few weeks should be a roller coaster indeed.
Scheduled for a repeat performance next season, "Heroes" airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. EST on NBC. The show is available on nbc.com via a free stream shortly after it makes its network debut.
Just an update to my earlier post, I've just found out there will be a live web cast with the folks from "Heroes" tonight. A link to the site will be posted on The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences site tonight, shortly before the panel discussion begins at 7:30 p.m. PST The panel will include Tim Kring, Allan Arkush, the cast members and a few others.
TV Land also has some great "Heroes" footage on its site. This video pertains to the show being named a “Future Classic” award winner.
Apple's still relatively new at offering games for on-the-go players, but it appears as if the company is on the right track. The titles for the iPod aren't ground breaking, but they are fairly well rounded.
The latest addition to the lineup is a blast from the past, but the emphasis is on "blast," especially for those of us who grew up playing the title in arcades and burger joints. Ms. Pac-Man officially brings the number of games for the iPod up to a small, but respectable dozen.
In fact, to sweeten the game playing deal, iTunes is offering all 12 games in a package for $59.99. Ms. Pac-Man herself can be purchased for a cool $4.99, which isn't bad considering. The more "manly" version of the game is also available for iPod play.
Right now the games on the site range from card offerings, such as Texas Hold'em and Royal Solitaire, to puzzle creations such as Suduko and Tetris.
While there is certainly room for improvement as far as iPod games are concerned, the lineup so far isn't half bad. Considering this format is about as portable as it gets and music can be played at the same time, it's not a bad deal at all.
Someday, hopefully, the roster will be almost as impressive as iTunes television library.
MyTVpal.com has announced plans to add 16 1080p high-def video on demand movies to its growing roster of flicks and shows.
The IPTV option is billed as the "world’s first instant streaming 1080p PC player and set top box (“STB”) video on demand (“VOD”) service." Some of the offerings in IMAX format include "Amazing Journeys," "Lost Worlds" and "Africa: The Serengeti."
MyTVpal offers a whole lot of unusual content for free on-demand streaming. It can work in conjunction with the step top box, as well. Television offerings come from all over the globe and the movie collection seems to be building on a steady basis.
The site appears to be coming along rather well. The addition of IMAX sounds like a pretty unusual one, too.
For more information about MyTVPal, visit the site.
"Heroes" season one will come to a close shortly after its return to television later this month. And, as fans wait to see how the heroes manage to save the world, they can also check out how the actors behind the show get down and party, too.
NBC.com has put up an official blog to cover the wrap party, which takes place tonight. The blog will offer live insight from the event.
"Heroes" takes a look at what might happen if ordinary people discovered they had extraordinary powers. From the cheerleader who can't be hurt to the adorable time traveling "nerd" from Japan, the ensemble behind the show has managed to make this particular NBC vehicle a household name in short time.
The show returns for its season one wrap up April 23 at 9 p.m. EST on NBC. For those who haven't check it out yet, NBC has lots of back episodes and sites like iTunes can fill in the rest.
Microsoft has announced plans to bring the Xbox Live network to the next level. Like the folks over at CBS, Microsoft wants to have some original content to offer gamers to view over its online platform.
To achieve this, the company has rolled out a content for would be television producers to create a pilot for the network. The winner gets $100,000 budget and a chance to win a six-episode commitment for Xbox Live.
"Not only can aspiring TV producers from across the globe try their hands at creating new TV shows, but because of Xbox Live Marketplace, they can now win a chance to have more than 6 million people worldwide see their work," Bill Nielsen, senior director of Xbox Live at Microsoft, has been quoted as saying. "This is an incredible opportunity for us to participate in the festival, and we are thrilled to be able to bring community-created TV content to the Xbox community for the first time."
Entries will be accepted until June 29. The rules can be found here.
According to Punch Jump, Xbox Live is currently the No. 1 platform for distribution of television and movies.
This news is very interesting for online TV fans and want-to-be producers alike. More original content on the net to join the likes of CBS's shows, such as "InTurn," come of the cartoon series online and so on is a very good indication of what the future holds for viewer. It just keeps getting better.
It might not be quite ready for primetime, but that's not stopping the folks at Joost from making sure the lineup is just right come launch day.
The soon-to-debut online television site has inked a number of deals in recent days. The company has entered into distribution partnerships with ALL3MEDIA, Alliance Atlantis, September Films and Wall to Wall. It's also signed on IndieFlix and Shorts International.
The content from the companies will appear on Joost, which is being billed as the "world's first broadcast-quality Internet television platform."
“With Joost, our film makers and artists have a greater opportunity than ever before to showcase their remarkable talents and to reach new audiences,” said Carter Pilcher, CEO of Shorts International, in a media release. “Joost’s secure, global platform is ideal for our artists as it ensures that the films are viewed with the level of quality which was intended by their creators.”
Shorts International will deliver content from its English, French and Spanish short film channels.
All told, the new additions will deliver such things as independent television and films, children's programming, fiction and more to the new site, which is now in beta testing.
Once live, Joost will be accessible to broadband users and will offer content to viewers free of charge. These latest partners join CBS as some of the first to join the Joost platform.
Electronic Arts has announced a rather interesting partnership with the Endemol group that would seek to marry television and video games in a hybrid creation. The Virtual Me, as its being billed, will bridge "the divide between traditional TV and videogames."
This brand new production is being created to debut during the next "Big Brother" round.
According to the EA media release, "Virtual Me combines cutting edge avatar creation technology from EA with popular TV formats from Endemol to give consumers a breakthrough way to meet, compete and socialize in online digital worlds. Avatar creation takes a leap forward with a high performing, easy-to-use tool that creates astonishingly life-like cyber-clones, with uniquely customized appearances and identities."
While using the Virtual Me, gamers or viewers, if you will, will be able to participate in virtual versions of hit shows, such as "Deal or No Deal," "Fame Academy" and more.
The web site, VirtualMe.com, is expected to go live in the coming months.
Peter Bazalgette, Chief Creative Officer, Endemol, is quoted as saying, "We’re told that people are starting to spend more time online than they are watching TV. Both markets are now important and this has huge implications for content creators. Our opportunity with Electronic Arts is to develop ideas that fully embrace the way people are consuming entertainment today.”
This does sound a whole lot like the Wii Mii or even MTV's virtual games on steroids, but with EA behind the wheel the result should be interesting to say the least.
AOL is putting the music into online television with its latest promotion on In2TV.
The new special promotion page is a little funky and a bit hokey, but it sure is a lot of fun. The page is dedicated to favorite television theme songs from the past. It includes such hits as the "Wonder Woman" theme and even "Growing Pains" and "Gilligan's Island."
All told there are about two dozen different theme songs to check out and download for free.
To add to the fun factor, AOL has included lyrics and the famous "bouncing ball" in the mix to ensure that fans can learn those old tunes correctly.
It's a pretty cool little addition to check out. I only wish that I could get the "Gillian's Island" theme song out of my head now!
CBS has once again shown its willigness to break with tradition and get in on the cutting edge of online television.
The network has officially become the first to sign on with Joost, an online site from the creators of Skype. Joost bills itself as “the world’s first broadcast-quality Internet television service.” CBS shows will be online on Joost when the service launches later this spring.
Shows that will be available include new and previously aired full epoisodes of such shows as the full “CSI” franchise, “Survior,” “Jericho” and even Showtime original movies.
“Joost combines best-in-class technology with superb video quality and a management team with a proven track record,” said Quincy Smith, President, CBS Interactive, in a media release. “Partnering with Joost for the CBS Interactive Audience Network showcases our content and community on a service that allows for unique advertising opportunities and a delivery framework that maximizes cost efficiency.”
Joost is in beta right now. There’s no official date for the big launch, but it looks like it’s coming soon.
As an online TV fan, I must say I remain impressed by the drive CBS is showing in making sure its content is available to fans as the click of a mouse.
TeevBlogger is dedicated to discussing TV online. This includes what shows are available, how and why we watch TV in the online format, technological issues and advancements in this market, and most importantly the enjoyment of television...
May 24, 2007
With more than 1 million American students dropping out of high school each year, the problem has reached epidemic proportions. MTV is trying to help lessen those numbers.
"Lost" fans can breath a little easier. The ABC show does have a set end in sight, but it's not coming any time soon.
Comedian Dave Hill is coming to MOJO, formerly INHD, with the debut of "The King of Miami" on May 7.
The long-awaited online television platform created by the guys behind Skype has officially gone mostly live. Joost is up and running with new content ready to go.
MySpace and Mark Burnett, the producer of "Survivor," are teaming up to bring a little bit of political pandering to the online community.
AOL’s In2TV is making sure television fans have a chance to get back to the boob tube’s roots while they’re surfing the net.
Last night's episode of "Heroes" might have left more than a few fans sitting with their jaws dropped, but that's what it's all about isn't it?
"Heroes" fans are no doubt breathing a collective sigh of relief today as the long-awaited return of NBC's hit show rolls out this evening.
Apple's still relatively new at offering games for on-the-go players, but it appears as if the company is on the right track. The titles for the iPod aren't ground breaking, but they are fairly well rounded.
MyTVpal.com has announced plans to add 16 1080p high-def video on demand movies to its growing roster of flicks and shows.
Microsoft has announced plans to bring the Xbox Live network to the next level. Like the folks over at CBS, Microsoft wants to have some original content to offer gamers to view over its online platform.
It might not be quite ready for primetime, but that's not stopping the folks at Joost from making sure the lineup is just right come launch day.
Electronic Arts has announced a rather interesting partnership with the Endemol group that would seek to marry television and video games in a hybrid creation. The Virtual Me, as its being billed, will bridge "the divide between traditional TV and videogames."
AOL is putting the music into online television with its latest promotion on In2TV.
CBS has once again shown its willigness to break with tradition and get in on the cutting edge of online television.
