Cynopsis

07.31.09

Good morning. It’s Friday, July 31, 2009, and this is this is your first early morning briefing.  And as always, if you prefer to watch this morning’s news instead of reading it, click here.  

Tonight’s Premiere:
HISTORY: Lock n’ Load at 9p

Saturday’s Premieres:
NBC: Face the Ace at 9p
Animal Planet: It’s Me or the Dog at 9p

Sunday’s Premieres:
ABC: Defying Gravity at 9p
VH1: Megan Wants a Millionaire at 9p

Sunday’s Finales:
Food Network: The Next Food Network Star at 9p
E!: Kendra at 10p

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE IFC

BET debuts its new game show Pay It Off on September 30 at 10p, where contestants can compete for cash to gain some needed debt relief. Actress/comedienne Kim Coles will host the 60m show where the personal financial debt of the contestants becomes the focal point versus the mechanics of playing a game. Successful contestants who make it through all five rounds will have the opportunity to win $25,000 in the final bonus round. Pay It Off is produced by SokoLobl Entertainment and Five Binks, Inc.

Also this fall on BET, comedienne/actress Mo’Nique is back as host for a new late-night entertainment show called The Mo’Nique Show premiering October 5 (time TBD). The hour-long weeknight show will include A-list celebrity guests and today’s top musical artists performing along with Mo’Nique’s unique brand of comedy. 

Food Network serves up a new season of The Next Iron Chef starting October 4 at 9p. Hosted by Food Network star Alton Brown, the reality competition series offers a close-up view as ten top American chef contestants will have their culinary skills challenged in Kitchen Stadium as well as on location in New York and Japan.

Animal Planet takes on topical news issues relating to animals in a new anthology series of quarterly specials under the all-encompassing title Animal Planet Investigates. The series begins in January with Dogfighting: An Animal Investigates Special produced by Anglia, a unit of ITV Studios. Other critical topics to be covered include animal testing, the exotic pet trade, cloning, pet food nutrition and slaughterhouses among others. Teale-Edwards/Working Dog Productions will also produce stories for this series.

In other Animal Planet news: new pet training series Superfetch debuts October 3 at 8p. Featuring YouTube wonder, Zak George, viewers will watch as Zak shows pet parents how to train their ordinary pets to do a number of tricks. The series is filmed in South Florida and in the Boston metro area.

truTV renewed its reality series Black Gold about competitive crews working on Texas oil rigs for a second season. A special note for season two, the show will feature “Rooster” McConaughey, the brother of film actor Matthew. Black Gold returns on truTV starting August 19 at 10p.

FUEL TV and ESPN are teaming to present extended coverage and special programs focused on this year’s X Games as the event celebrates its 15th anniversary. The deal allows FUEL TV to preview highlights of the X Games during its daily interview/variety show The Daily Habit as well as a recap special airing within its weekly news show, The Weekly Update With Boost Mobile airing on FUEL TV and Fox Sports Net. In addition, FUEL TV will air four X Games Classic shows and the special program X Games: 15 Most Memorable Moments.

Cablevision Systems Corporation announced its board of directors approved the company to spin-off its Madison Square Garden (MSG) business to Cablevision stockholders. The transaction is expected to be complete by the end of this year and set up as a tax-free pro rata spin-off to current Cablevision shareholders who would then own shares in both Cablevision and the new MSG. Following the spin-off, the Dolan family will control both Cablevision and the new MSG via their ownership of Class B shares. James Dolan will be the Executive Chairman of the new, public Madison Square Garden in addition to continuing in his present position as President/CEO of Cablevision. Furthermore, Hank Ratner would become President/CEO of Madison Square Garden as well as remaining as Vice Chairman of Cablevision. Charles Dolan would also continue as Chairman of Cablevision.

Discovery Channel’s season finale of Deadliest Catch airing Tuesday at 9p delivered 2.4 million A18-49, 2.5 million A25-54 and 3.7 million total viewers.

Primetime Emmy® Awards Note: The next installment of the Cynopsis presents: Emmy® Awards 2009 special edition series will focus on Drama series. Upcoming in this series are … 

• 8/5 Special Edition:    Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Directing of a Drama, Outstanding Writing of a Drama Series
• 8/12 Special Edition:  Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, Outstanding Reality Program; Outstanding Non-Fiction Series; Outstanding Non-Fiction Special
• 8/19 Special Edition:  Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
• 8/24 Special Edition:  Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

If you’re among the nominees … congratulations!!  And if you’d like to send us a description or brief bio of the nominated series/director/actor/writer (maximum of 150 words – emailed 48 hours prior to publication date), we will include it in our special edition.   Please send the description to me at

. 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE DEBMAR-MERCURY

South Asian entertainment network, Zee TV USA has launched on Time Warner Cable in San Diego. 

USA Network approved the original pilot Covert Affairs from Universal Cable Productions.  Dave Bartis and Doug Liman serve as executive producers through their company Dutch Oven; Matt Corman and Chris Ord will write and co-executive produce. Covert Affairs is about Annie Walker, a young CIA trainee who thinks she is being brought to headquarters to become a field operative because of her extraordinary linguistic talents, however her CIA bosses may have their sights on someone from her past. Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly, Cheaper by the Dozen, Beverly Hills Chihuahua) stars as Annie and Christopher Gorham plays Auggie Anderson, a blind CIA military intelligence agent who becomes Annie’s “guide” into this new world of bureaucracy and mystery.

Diane Keaton was tapped to star in a new untitled half-hour series under development at HBO about a famous feminist who launches a porn magazine for women. The project is from Grady Twins Productions, the new company established by Marti Noxon and Dawn Parouse Olmstead earlier this year. Noxon will pen the script and executive produce with Parouse Olmstead. The team of Noxon and Parouse Olmstead is also working with Guillermo del Toro and author Chuck Hogan on a TV adaptation of their book trilogy The Strain.

A trio of companies, NBC, Universal Media Studios and Carousel Television, are working on a revival of the 1970s drama The Rockford Files for the present-day. David Shore, creator and executive producer of FOX’s House is also on board to head the remake. Shore says he will stay with the basic premise of the original The Rockford Files, which starred James Garner, about a private eye in Los Angeles “just trying to make a living.”

ABC News promoted Dr. Timothy Johnson to Chief Medical Editor/ABC News and added Dr. Richard Besser to its on-air medical team led by Dr. Johnson as Senior Health and Medical Editor. Dr. Johnson will continue to offer on-air medical analysis for all ABC News’ broadcasts and platforms while Dr. Besser will begin as a contributor across all ABC News platforms this September. Dr. Besser currently serves as Director of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Casting Call: Juma Entertainment is seeking telegenic au pairs located in the Los Angeles area for an untitled reality series. Interested candidates can send an email to
.

Casting Call: Allison Grodner Productions is now casting for the new series The Good Life. Interested female candidates who already live like a princess or act like one, surrounded by a glamorous, luxurious lifestyle and who have over-the-top attitudes should apply online at www.thegoodlifecasting.com or send an email to
.

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer called a meeting with analysts on Thursday to begin to sell the Yahoo search partnership to Wall Street. He claimed that the market was undervaluing the deal and that Yahoo’s profits would likely expand by 70% due to improved relevance. However investors weren’t impressed, as the sell off of Yahoo shared continued. Yahoo shares dropped another 3% in value after Wednesday’s 12% decline.  Full edition: CYN DIGITAL.    

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  Scholastic Parent & Child August/September issue will be the largest revenue issue in the magazine’s 16-year history with 93.15 pages, an 8.4% increase over last year.  Nick Friedman is Editor-in-Chief of Scholastic Parent & Child.  While I don’t know what the ads in the mag are for … I’d bet a chunk of them are for apparel. Several baby/toddler apparel companies, including Carters and Gap, are reporting profits and my guess is that this is because clothing is considered an essential for little ones and parents and grandparents will buy multiple items … hey … it is all cute in those sizes. Full edition: CYN KIDS.    

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE WESTDOC

Wednesday  A18-49 Analysis: On the final night of July Sweep, FOX polished off a win Wednesday at 3.0/9 A18-49, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. FOX wowed viewers during 8p with So You Think You Can Dance at 2.9/10 with ABC’s repeat of Wipeout next at 2.2/7. FOX maintained a steady beat with So You Think You Can Dance through 9p at 3.1/9 followed by NBC’s talent competition show America’s Got Talent at 2.8/8. Tried and true, CBS’ CSI: NY encore won the 10p hour with 1.6/5 and ABC’s Primetime: Crime and NBC’s Philanthropist tied for second place at 1.3/4 apiece.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 (July Sweep Day 28) time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

FOX: 4.7/8          So You Think You Can Dance 4.7/8

NBC: 4.6/8         America’s Got Talent [r] 4.1/7, America’s Got Talent 6.6/11, Philanthropist 3.1/6

CBS: 3.9/7        Old Christine [r] 2.9/5, Gary Unmarried [r] 2.7/5, Criminal Minds [r] 4.3/7, CSI: NY [r] 4.5/8

ABC: 3.0/5         Wipeout [r] 3.7/7, I Survived a Japanese Game Show 2.0/3, Primetime: Crime 3.4/6

UNIV: 1.9/3        En Nombre del Amor 1.7/3, Manana para Siempre 2.3/4, Don Francisco Presenta 1.6/3

CW: 0.8/1          America’s Next Top Model Encore [r] 0.8/1, America’s Next Top Model Encore 2 [r] 0.9/1

MNT: 0.7/1         World’s Funniest Moments [r] 0.6/1, Magic’s Biggest Secrets Revealed [r] 0.7/1

TELE: 0.6/1        Mas Sabe El Diablo 0.6/1, Ninos Ricos 0.6/1, Victorinos 0.6/1

ION: 0.4/1         Reba [r] 0.3/1, Wednesday 9PM Movie: Training Day 0.4/1

A18-49: FOX 3.0/9, NBC 1.8/6, ABC 1.6/5, UNIV 1.5/5, CBS 1.4/4, CW 0.5/2, TELE 0.5/2, MNT 0.4/1, ION 0.2/1

Granite Broadcasting Corporation announced broadcasting veteran Sarah Norat-Phillips, President/GM of WMYD/Detroit resigned from her position to pursue other personal endeavors. Sarah will continue in her position through August 31, 2009 during the transition period. Sarah has been President/GM of WMYD-TV since May 1998 and started with Granite Broadcasting in 1980 when she began as a production assistant at WKBW/Buffalo. Succeeding Sarah will be David T. Bangura who was previously Director/Sales at WMYD-TV. 

Andrew Plotkin will become SVP/Original Programming at Syfy. Andrew is a long-time television executive who has developed such TV shows as Without a Trace, Nip/Tuck, Cold Case and Smallville. In his new position at Syfy, Andrew will be based in Los Angeles and will report to Mark Stern, EVP/Original Programming, Syfy/Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM THE LUSTGARTEN FOUNDATION

Friday Fun Fact: The average person falls asleep in 7 minutes.

This day in History:  1928 – MGM’s Leo the lion roared for the first time. He introduced MGM’s first talking picture, “White Shadows on the South Seas.”

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  Who carried a prop he referred to as Old Betsy?  DAVY CROCKETT named his rifle Betsy, and MIKE HAMMER gave the same name to his revolver.  Kudos to: Eric Adler-Eric Adler Research/Clearwater; Ed Weiner-Hudson Media Services/NY; Michael O’Gara/NYC; Jonathan Donini-R.J. Palmer/NY; Brenda Calhoun-SpotPlus y Mas/Dallas; Skip Engle-Editech Inc/Omaha; Jim Gray-FrogLight Pdns/Missoula; Bill Parks-Danny Lipford Media/Mobile; Steve Hirsen/Sherman Oaks; Bryce Wagoner-Shield Pirate Productions/Hollywood; Gary Moglovkin-NBC Studios/Studio City; Norma Jean Belenky/Los Angeles

Today’s Trivia Question:  This miniseries – an adaptation of Larry McMurty’s novel, was filmed in New Mexico and England. It documents the friendship between Calamity Jane and her friend Dora, a bordello owner.  The miniseries aired at the start of the May sweeps in 1995.  What was the name of this miniseries?    (Email
with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: Only the second four correct answers from each time zone will be mentioned; and once you’ve been mentioned in any of the Cynopsis editions, you can’t be mentioned again that calendar week.)

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Later — Cyn
07.31.09

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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM CTAM

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JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT ANALYST/iN DEMAND/NYC: Develop/Implement procedures to collect revenue and report data from affiliates. Bachelor’s degree (Accounting preferred) and cable/collections exp req. Apply:
(8/7)

JOB OPENING: TRAFFIC & SERVICING MGR: Beverly Hills Int’l TV distribution co. seeks traffic & servicing manager with min. 2 years experience ordering &delivering video elements.  Email resume to
(8/6)

JOB OPENING: PR MGR/ SR.MGR /Classic Media/NYC: 5-7 yrs exp in PR, esp. ent/media w/consumer focus; Develop publicity strategies, Generate positive brand visibility, Execute PR plans, Liase w/creators; apply to:
(8/5)

JOB OPENING: SR RESEARCH ANALYST NICK KIDS & FAMILY/NYC: 2 yrs natl resch exp.Strong analytical/detail/organiz sk.Expert w/Nielsen, Npower. Strong written/oral comm. sk.Prof in MS Office. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (8/5)

JOB OPENING: SR MANAGER, CONTENT PARTNERSHIPS/ PRN (the in-store TV media leader)/LA: 8+ yrs exp in developing content provider relationships, must be well connected to networks, cable, studios, etc. http://tinyurl.com/prnjobs (8/5)

JOB OPENING: ART DIRECTOR/Nicktoons/Freelance/NY:Mng schedule/workflow & art dir. for in-house design grp. Oversee art direction for all onair/offair projects by freelancers/design firms. EOE/M/F/D/AAP apply:
(8/5)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, MARKETING/MTV/NYC. Min 7yrs exp. in promos or consumer marketing w/in entertainment, media or music industry. Exp. w/ promotions management and online marketing content. EOE/M/F/D/AAP apply www.mtvcareers.com (8/4)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL AE/ABC Family/NYC: Develop, maintain, grow revenue against strategic advertising accounts for abcfamily.com 3+ yrs digital sales exp Apply www.disneyabcjobs.com Req # 198753 (8/4)

JOB OPENING: VP, PR/MSG Varsity (New Cablevision network)/LI: 10+ yrs exp creating/managing strategic media relations programs. Exp with sports programming preferred. Apply
(8/4)

JOB OPENING: IN HOUSE FREELANCE INTERACTION DESIGNER, DIG MEDIA/Sesame Workshop/NY: 3+ yrs dig. media design & user interface dvlpmt exp (multi-client design firm/vendor-side exp) EOE/M/F/D/AAP Apply 
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JOB OPENING: METRO TV AFFILIATE SALES:Resp for dvlpng new affiliations.Mng/grow existing affiliations. Knwlg of TV dist biz as well as Synd & affil sales exp. Resume and salary requirements to:
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JOB OPENING: VP, CREATIVE SRVS/VERSUS NTWRK/COMCAST/PA: Visionary creative/passion for the craft/strong work ethic, dev & mgmt skills? Req’d 8-10+ yrs exp. @ TV Ntwrk, ad agency, or post prod/design firm. Apply: www.comcast.com (8/4)

JOB OPENING: DVLPMNT EXEC/NY: Est’d prod. Co. seeks creative, workaholic, self-starter to oversee reality & non-fiction dvlpmnt. Solid ind contacts, exceptional ideas & exp selling to ntwrks a must. Res/Cvr Ltr:
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JOB OPENING: AD SALES RESEARCH SR MGR/ION/NY: Great opp w/ media brand, 6+ yrs ad sales research exp, strong analytic skills & strategic thinking vital, Galaxy/N Power/MRI/TNS req’d. EOE. Apply
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JOB OPENING: AD SALES PLANNER/Kids Ntwrk./NY: 1+yrs Advrtsng Sales exp. pref Kids; support in growing existing buz; recommendations for new buz dvlpmt. Apply: http://www.thecookiejarcompany.com/cj_careers.php (8/1)

JOB OPENING: CONSUMER MARKETING MANAGER/FOOD NETWORK/ NY– Manage integrated marketing & execution of all consumer advertising. 5-7 yrs entertainment mkting and/or ad agency exp is req’d. Prod exp a plus. www.scrippsnetworks.com (8/1)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST /Fox Latin American Channels/NY: Support busy Res. Dept. Strong analytical/comm/computer/presentation skills, PPT & Excel. Nielsen data & systems. a+ Email:
(8/1)

JOB OPENING: DIR DIGITAL MEDIA OPS/Ovation/Santa Monica: Knwlg/exp mngng operations of a growing digital media biz.5 yrs digital operations exp. Strong analytical/ rsrch skills. Cvr letter/salary req:
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JOB OPENING: EXEC DIRECTOR/Drexel University/Phila: Top TV, news or film producer or exec to run an institute related to our academic programs. Visit: http://www.drexel.edu/westphal/jobs/ (8/1)

JOB OPENING: SR DIRECTOR, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT/MTV/NYC: 7+ yrs exp. in building & developing interactive digital products; Creation of digital product documents; B.A. EOE/M/F/D/AAP apply  www.mtvcareers.com (8/1)

JOB OPENING: LINE PROD-Freelance/ABC/ENT. MKTG/Burbank: Mng creation of brdcst quality spots/clips for air various outlets. 3yrs+ exp Post Prod., pref. w/ promos.Final Cut Pro & flex sched a must. Apply:
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JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING/GSN Santa Monica: 5-7 yrs exp in pre & post production, digital programming initiatives, budgeting, casting and development. Please send resume to
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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM IFC

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FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: TV One has internship opportunities for undergraduate school credit only- locations in NY, MD, LA and IL. Visit us at www.tvoneonline.com for details (8/4)

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SITUATION WANTED: EIC/LINE PRODUCER with 10+ yrs exp. Variety, Docu-Reality, Game Show, Scripted, Competition/Elimination- Mngd biz of Prod. Co’s. for major TV & cable nets. Looking for next project.
(8/7)

SITUATION WANTED: EXEC ASST(New York): 7 years experience: Interned for a President, Exec Asst to SVP, VP, and personal asst to film dir & celebrity. Looking for Exec Asst Position in film/TV (NY).
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SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCH DIR/STRATEGIST See what 20+ yrs media, Nielsen, Hisp, research, sales, presentation experience can do for you. Email:
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SITUATION WANTED: FIELD/STORY PRODUCER/LA: 6+ years exp. producing reality, doc, clip, celeb int. for A&E, VH1, MTV, FOX production thru post. Email:
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SITUATION WANTED: ASSOCIATE PRODUCER/Reality/Ent/Docs. NBC; CBS; Spike; Dis; TLC; E!; VH1; MTV Travel Channel;runs on Batteries. (LA based)
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SITUATION WANTED: DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT/NY: Idealist looking for home in dvlpmnt as an assistant. Currently seeking opportunities with growth potential. Eager and driven to learn as I work.
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SITUATION WANTED: Recent Harvard grad with experience in production, editing (FCP), and development looking for entry-level job in NY area in television/video/media. Strong writer, creative, people person.
(8/6)

SITUATION WANTED: LICENSING PRO with 15 yrs of industry experience and an expertise in music /footage + all IP permissions. Clients include studios, networks & advert’g agencies.
(8/5)

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/NYC BASED: 10yrs. EXP in films and reality TV. Available immediately. Contact:
. … LINKS: http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/289517/A-Miami-Tail/overview (8/4)

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER/EIC/PROD MGR (LA): 10+ Yrs Industry Experience. TV/Web/Industrial. Seeks long term full time position. Camera and FCP savvy. Package deal. On schedule and under budget! Contact –
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SITUATION WANTED:ASST PRODUCER/COORDINATOR/MGR/PA(NY) Experience: ABC, NBC, CBS, BBC, MTV, Food Network, History Channel, Sesame Street, NY1. Resume: Charles.Goon.googlepages.com Email:
(8/1)

SITUATION WANTED: MARKETING/PROMOTIONS/Boston: Marketing/promotions professional seeks television, web marketing, social networking focused position. Experienced in international markets. Creative + will travel.
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SITUATION WANTED: Seasoned MARKETING RSRCH PROFESSIONAL seeks freelance or PT/FT opportunities. Specialized in syndicated and primary research. Experience in working with multicultural and kids’ markets.
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SITUATION WANTED: 5 PRIME TIME EMMYS/ DOC. PROD, DIR., WRITER in L.A. Credits: National Geo, PBS, Discovery, History CH, TLC and MSNBC. Contact email:
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SITUATION WANTED:  PUBLIC/MEDIA RELATIONS, WEB CONTENT MNGMNT POSITION. English/French fluent w/ 7+ yrs communications experience. Last worked in financial industry, but flexible with other industries. Contact:
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SITUATION WANTED:  OFFICE OR SET PA/PERSONAL ASSNT/LA: 5 yrs. exp, well organized, pays attention, fast learner. Will relocate + can start asap. 
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2009

ABC:  Surviving Suburbia [R], The Goode Family, According to Jim [r], According to Jim [r], 20/20
AZTECA: Laura de Todos, Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Al Extremo
CBS: Ghost Whisperer [r], Flashpoint [r], Numb3rs [r]
CW:  Smallville [r], Everybody Hates Chris [r], The Game [r]
FOX: Are you Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Mental
ION:  Reba; Movie: Training Day
MNT: WWE Friday Night Smackdown
NBC: Southland [r], Dateline
PBS: Washington Week, Now on PBS, Bill Moyers’ Journal, Inside
TELE: Mas Sabe el Diablo, Ninos Ricos Padres Pobres, Victorinos
UNIV:  El Nombre del Amor, Manana es para Siempre, Rosa de Guadalupe

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