CYNTHIA TURNER’S
Cynopsis

08/15/05

Good morning.  It’s Monday August 15, 2005, and this is your first early morning briefing.

Fox Broadcasting Company and 19 Entertainment have issued a statement following their investigation into the allegations made by American Idol contestant Corey Clark that Paula Abdul provided him with personal assistance (of whatever sort) during the contest.  The statement basically says there is insufficient evidence to indicate Abdul provided Clark with any unfair assistance of any sort, or that any communications between the two helped Clark’s performance, or in any way influenced the eventual outcome. Abdul will continue as a judge on the show.

Kathie Lee Gifford returns to the world of syndicated television as she joins Paramount’s The Insider.  Confirmation on this rumor was requested last week to no avail, even tho Gifford started working last week.  Kathie Lee will report on Broadway as a special correspondent. Her deal is for one year.  First up for Gifford is a three-part interview with Steven Cojocaru.

Coming to a syndication meeting near you – HBO and the syndie rights to Six Feet Under.  The show finishes up on HBO this season and will have 60 eps.   First on the meeting list will be basic cable nets, followed by local station group heads. 

BBC America will debut a new series on Thursday, September 29, at 9p called Bodies. The network says Bodies will be to the medical drama what The Shield is to the police drama. Set in a hospital, the show looks into medicine’s politics, cynicism, malpractice and black humor.  Casting includes Max Beesley, Patrick Baladi, Susan Lynch and Keith Allen, among others.

BET News will highlight the life of Ebony/Jet founder and media entrepreneur John H. Johnson this evening in Citizen Johnson:  A Man and His Empire at 10 pm.  BET News anchor Jacque Reid will host the special with tributes from many, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, BET Founder/Chairman Robert Johnson, National Council of Negro Women President Dr. Dorothy Height, Rev. Al Sharpton and poetic rapper Common.   The funeral for Johnson is scheduled for today at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, and will also be covered in tonight’s broadcast.

Weekend Box Office Estimates: August 12-14, 2005
Four Brothers (Paramount)                           $20.7 million – opening weekend
The Skeleton Key (Universal)                        $15.8 million – opening weekend
Dukes of Hazzard (Warner Bros.)                $13.0 million – 2 wk total $57.5m
Wedding Crashers (New Line)                      $12.0 million – 5 wk total $164.1m
Deuce Bigelow: Euro Gigolo (Sony)              $9.4 million – opening weekend
Charlie & the Choc Factory (Warner Bros.)  $7.3 million – 5 wk total $183.3m
March of the Penguins (Warner Ind.)            $6.7 million – 8 wk total $37.6m
Sky High (Buena Vista)                                  $6.1 million – 3 wk total $43.3m
Must Love Dogs (Warner Bros.)                   $4.6 million – 3 wk total $34.6m
The Great Raid (Miramax)                             $3.4 million – opening weekend
Source: Box Office Mojo

NBC:

• ER:  Kristen Johnston has been cast in a recurring role as Eve Peyton, a no-nonsense nurse who plans to whip the ER back into shape.  Her first episode will air on October 6.

Disney Channel:

• The Suite Life of Zack & Cody has received a second season order for 22 episodes.  The show is set in a la-di-da Boston hotel, home to twin boys Zack and Cody.  In its first season, the show averaged 1.4 million viewers, ranking #2 for the network.

Cartoon Network:

• Robot Chicken has been greenlit for a second season on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block.  The show has received a 20 ep order for Season #2, set to debut in 2nd qtr 2006.  The show comes from Seth Green and Mathew Senreich, billed as creators/exec producers.

CBS:

• 22 Birthdays (Hypnotic/NBC Universal TV Studio):  A drama project in development with director Doug Liman’s production co. Hypnotic.  The show is basically an examination of the interaction of people (in this case all high-powered people), in the setting of 22 different birthday parties for first graders in the same class at an elite and very private school in LA.  Earlier this month, it was announced NBC-UTS had signed a first look deal with Liman and his Hypnotic shingle.  CBS has given this script a significant penalty clause in the event it is not made into a pilot.

Fox:

• Untitled legal drama from Steven Bochco has brought in Chris Gerolmo to pen the script. This show will look deeper into the personal lives of all the players in the courtroom and how their lives may be at odds with what they’re portraying in the courtroom.  Fox has given a pilot commitment to this project.

In development at David E. Kelley Prods/20th:

• Untitled drama project based on the backstage goings-on of a morning network news/magazine show (a la GMA or Today).  NBC has been pitched the pilot script, tho nothing official has been announced as yet.

In development at Live Planet/Touchstone:

• Resistance is a drama project about a second American Revolution, to be written by Ben Affleck (remember, that’s how he started – Good Will Hunting).  The story is set in the future when the country has been divided after two terrorist attacks.  At the center are a pair of modern patriots, attempting to reunite the country and reinvigorate the Bill of Rights.

Three development/production deals:

• Touchstone Television has signed a two year/seven figure deal with writer/producer Marco Pennette to develop new projects for the studio.  Additionally, Pennette will continue with his exec prod responsibilities for two new series this season – Crumbs on ABC and Inconceivable on NBC (both shows produced by Tollin/Robbins and Touchstone).
• Warner Bros. Television has signed a three year development/production deal with Hank Steinberg.  Steinberg will continue with his Showrunner duties on Without a Trace, as well as develop new projects for the studio.
• Paramount Network TV has signed Scott Kaufer to a two year deal/7 figure deal.  Kaufer’s Chartwell Prods. will develop dramas for the studio, and Kaufer will also act as exec producer on UPN’s midseason drama South Beach

Jed Cohen has been named EVP/GSM for Buena Vista Television, reporting to Janice Marinelli, President.  Jed is a 15-year veteran of BVT, and was upped from SVP/NSM, a title he held since 2000.  He will oversee all sales and distribution of first-run, off-net and theatrical product for broadcast syndication and basic cable platforms.
 
Jayne Wallace has joined CSTV as VP/Corporate Communications.  Jayne’s background includes a stint as VP/PR for WorkingWoman.com, as well as years as Director/Media Relations for USA Networks, and prior to that VP/Public Relations for AMC.

The Bravo Group has created a new unit by merging its San Francisco and Irvine, CA departments.  The new West Coast office, BravoWest, will be headed up by Bravo execs Zulema Arroyo and Christine Hahn.  The new combined office will continue to serve the two units’ current clients such as Chevron Products Company, Foster Farms, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda, Paramount Great America and Visa U.S.A..  Zulema was appointed as Group Managing Director.  She will oversee operations and account development in both offices in addition to managing the daily Irvine unit’s operations.  She was previously the Account Director in Irvine and will continue to be based there.  Christine was named as BravoWest Managing Director.  She will continue to oversee the San Francisco office’s daily operation in addition to collaborating with Zulema. She was previously the VPGM for Bravo San Francisco.

Hit Entertainment has named Alison Homewood as EVP/Worldwide Television Distribution.  She will be responsible on international television licensing and co-production of Hit’s existing brands (i.e., Barney, Bob the Builder, Pingu and Thomas & Friends) and new TV content development.  Alison was previously at Buena Vista International Television. She will be based at Hit’s London office.

Thursday — A18-49 Analysis:  CBS led on Thursday night among A18-49, according to final numbers from Nielsen, posting an overall 3.5/11.  NBC was #2 with a 2.0/6, followed by Fox and UPN 1.7/5, ABC 1.8/5, WB .6/2.  At 8p Big Brother on CBS won with a 2.9/9, outpacing the 7 share earned by Fox’s pair of That 70’s Show.  At 9p a repeat of CSI dominated with a 4.5/13.  And at 10p, CBS won again with a 3.2/9 for a repeat of Without a Trace.  Primetime Live earned a 2.4/7, while a repeat of ER delivered a 1.8/5.

FINAL HOUSEHOLD RATINGS: Thursday, August 11,  2005, for all Networks – program averages. Source: Nielsen Media Research. 

CBS     7.5/13   Big Brother 5.0/9, CSI [r] 9.3/16, Without A Trace [r] 8.0/14

ABC     3.6/6    Extreme Makeover [r] 3.4/6, ABC News: Hooking Up 2.9/5, Primetime Live 4.5/8

NBC     3.4/6    Joey [r] 3.6/7, Will & Grace [r] 3.4/6, Will & Grace [r] 3.8/6,  Scrubs [r] 2.9/5,  ER [r] 3.3/6

UPN     3.0/5    WWE Smackdown 3.0/5

FOX     2.5/4    That 70’s Show [r] 2.7/5, That 70’s show [r] 2.9/5, The O.C. [r] 2.1/4

WB      1.2/2    Smallville [r] 1.4/3, Everwood [r] .9/2

A18-49            CBS 3.5/11, NBC 2.0/6, Fox and UPN 1.7/5, ABC 1.8/5, WB .6/2

The History Channel presents This Day in History:
1961-Two days after German soldiers prevented the free passage between East Berlin and West Berlin, East German authorities began constructing the wall that would symbolize the Cold War for 28 long years.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  You know Rosie, and you know her ‘quicker picker upper.’  The question is, do you recall what it was she always quickly picked up off her diner counter?   SPILLED COFFEE    Kudos to: Julie DePue-Stelor Productions/Darnestown; Lewis Cosby-WMAK/Knoxville TN; Jim McKeever-ABC 40/Springfield MA; Debbi Rothenberg-Promo-Nation INC/NY; Tom Boyd-WGN TV/Chicago; Jeff Simmons-EAD/Dallas; Barb Throm-Smart Media/St Louis; Chris Faulhaber-Anheuser Busch/St Louis; Joel Metzger-Bell Tower Prods/LA; Roger Bare-KHWB/Houston;  Roz Seibold-Tucson Hearing Clinics/Tucson AZ; Muhammad Eldereiny-RPA/Santa Monica CA; Jonathan Rutherford-Portfolio Entertainment/Toronto Ontario Canada

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM COURT TV

Today’s Trivia Question: She’s very sweet and very grandma-like when she comes to life at the breakfast table.  We’ve all heard her being told she is loved, but it was only a commercial for what item?   (click here 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.)

Later — Cyn
08.15.05  –  5:14am
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Copyright Cynthia Turner 2005

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT: Monday, August 15, 2005

ABC              Movie:  Remember the Titans
CBS              King of Queens [r], Raymond [r], 2-1/2 Men [r], 2-1/2Men [r], CSI: Miami [r]
FOX              Renovate My Family, Renovate My Family
NBC              Fear Factor [r], Las Vegas [r], Medium [r]
PAX              Doc, Diagnosis Murder, Early Edition
UPN              One on One [r], All of Us [r], Girlfriends [r], Half & Half [r]
WB               7th Heaven [r], Summerland [r]
TELE             El Cuerpo del Deseo, Los Plateados, El Principe Azul
UNIV             Apuesta por un Amor, La Madrasta, Cristina