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VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW
PROGRAMMING
Fans of Everybody Loves Raymond may soon have cause to rejoice.
The show is said to be getting a spin-off, based around the character
of Robert Barrone, the oft-unappreciated brother of Ray Romano's
character. The spin-off, which could air as early as next season,
would revolve around Barrone (played by Brad Garrett), his wife
and her parents. [The New York Times]
The
New York Times
More Australian
viewers chose to watch dancing than soccer last week. Channel Seven's
popular Dancing with the Stars was the most-watched program
of the week, followed by Channel Ten's coverage of the Australian
Football League's preliminary final. Versions of the ballroom dancing-themed
show are garnering high ratings all over the globe. [News.Com.Au]
News.Com.Au
And they're
off...the new U.S. TV season's series have left the gate and are
now making their mark on primetime. The score so far: Fox's Bones,
WB's Supernatural and NBC's Surface are blowing their
competition out of the water. Fox's Head Cases, WB's Just
Legal and Fox's Kitchen Confidential are not. [E! Online]
E!
Online
BUSINESS
ITV is getting a shot of testosterone. Starting November 1, ITV4
will be the elder brother to ITV2, its profitable sister digital
channel, targeted at an audience of young women and teenagers. The
net, which will be available to Freeview, cable and satellite viewers,
will feature little new British programming. Most of the non-sport
offerings will be American. A reworking of the Seventies detective
Kojak will be a highlight of the introductory schedule, which
includes controversial documentary Outfoxed. [The London
Times]
The
London Times
ADVERTISING
A major component of advertisers' job is to recognize a hit show
before it is released to the public. It is this ability to predict
the next big show that guarantees advertisers buy the right ad time
on the right show. And now, the Internet is making that guessing
game a little more straightforward. One media buying company, Initiative
Media, is looking to Internet chat rooms and message boards to get
a sense of what people seem to like. This year, chatter seems to
be taking place around UPN comedy Everybody Hates Chris.
[The New York Times]
The
New York Times
Comic book-based
film Sin City is causing quite the hullabaloo in the U.K.
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned the movie's interactive
ads, which included gunshot scenes, claiming that they are unsuitable
for children and could be seen as condoning violence. They have
urged that they be removed. [The Scotsman]
The Scotsman
TECHNOLOGY
In direct response to the increasing popularity of DVRs and video-on-demand,
Montreal-based etc.tv Inc. will begin a 10-week trial of a new service
which allows viewers to click on an icon during a 30-second commercial
and watch a longer version of the ad. The service will be available
to 41,000 Quebec households that have digital cable through Videotron
Ltee. The advertiser roster includes General Motors, Proctor & Gamble
and National Bank of Canada. What media buyers seem to like best
about the etc.tv service is its pay-per-click model, which is similar
to Internet advertising, where advertisers pay only if consumers
click through to their long-form ads. [The Globe and Mail]
The
Globe and Mail
CONTROVERSY
She may not have gotten her much-desired on-air makeover, but one
Texas woman is determined to get something out of ABC. Deleese Williams
claims that the night before she was to begin her makeover on Extreme
Makeover, the show's producers cancelled on her. To prepare
for the show, the producers had sent a crew to Texas in January
2004 to interview Williams and her family. The lawsuit Williams
is filing against ABC suit claims the crew manipulated Williams'
sister, Kellie, into making cruel statements about her looks. The
suit claims Kellie was so distraught over what she said about her
sister, that she eventually killed herself. [Reuters]
Reuters
AWARDS SHOWS
And the award for best ratings comeback goes to...the Emmys. This
year's Emmy Awards broadcast on saw a 35 percent ratings increase
from last year when it aired this past Sunday. The show, which recognizes
U.S. TV excellence, was hosted by comedian and daytime talk show
host Ellen DeGeneres. [USA Today]
USA
Today
MtvU, MTV's
college network, has announced the nominees for its second annual
Woodie Awards. The awards recognize artists who have won over the
hearts of college students. Winners will be announced at the ceremony
and concert event on November 2 and will air on MtvU and www.mtvU.com
on Nov. 10. [Detroit Free Press]
Detroit
Free Press
FILM FESTIVALS
The Toronto International Film Festival has found its big winners.
South African/British film Tsotsi, about a car thief who
accidently steals a car with a baby in the back seat, won the People's
Choice Award. The Discovery award, chosen by journalists who attend
the festival, was bestowed upon Australian film Look Both Ways,
which chronicles the lives of a collection of characters over an
uncomfortably hot weekend. [The Globe and Mail]
The
Globe and Mail
FILM
Sick of being dubbed "Hollywood North," Toronto is showing its commitment
to film production by erecting a (C)$100-million, 30-acre film production
complex. Toronto Film Studios is leasing the studio from the Toronto
Economic Development Corporation, the city's re-development arm.
According to company president Ken Ferguson, the waterfront complex
"is intended to accommodate the largest of movie sets." [National
Post]
National
Post
A rogue crocodile
will get the Hollywood treatment, when he stars in a big budget
film to be shot in Australia's Kakadu National Park in November.
Rogue tells of the misadventures of a group of international
tourists. The film, which is being backed by Harvey and Bob Weinstein,
will cost (AU)$20 million to make, making it one of the most expensive
movies ever made in Australia. [News.Com.Au]
News.Com.Au
VideoAge
and IPTV at MIPCOM:
IPTV, the industry's
new window, will be one of the key features of the VideoAge
MIPCOM Issue.
IPTV (e.g.
FastWeb, Free and PCCW), will be changing the way TV is sold and
consumed; and all production and distribution companies should be
looking into, thinking about and selling IPTV rights.
Just imagine,
DVR, cable TV and Internet all in one large-screen TV set: the ultimate
interactive programming, which promises to change the course of
TV.
Don't miss
this Issue.
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