Cynopsis

08.03.09

Good morning. It’s Monday, August 3, 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 Premieres:
Planet Green: Blue Planet at 9p
VH1: Real Chance Of Love 2 at 9p
HISTORY: Clash of the Gods at 10p
Investigation Discovery: Forensics: You Decide at 10p

Tonight’s Finale:
LOGO: Gimme Sugar: Miami at 10p

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE PLANET GREEN

HBO set the date for the season seven premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm for September 20, announcing it at the Television Critics Association tour late last week. Creator and star of the series, Larry David also revealed the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm will feature a reunion of cast members from NBC’s sitcom Seinfeld. Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia-Louis Dreyfus and Michael Richards will appear in five episodes, catching viewers up with the characters’ lives 11 years later from where the original Seinfeld series left off.

In other HBO news, the premium cable network announced a trio of renewals: frosh comedy Hung approved for a second season, a seventh season round for comedy Entourage and a third season for the vampire drama True Blood. All three series will return with new episodes next year though True Blood is slated to return during the summer.

Sundance Channel premieres season three of the network’s original eco-series Big Ideas for a Small Planet tomorrow at 8p. The 13-episode series airs within The Green, the network’s weekly primetime block focused on environmental programming. The new season will provide further revelations and discussion surrounding green design, inventions and inventors and processes affecting our communities and everyday lives. This season several celebrities such as Jackson Browne, Thom Filicia, Cindy Crawford, Soleil Moon Frye and members of the Philadelphia Eagles will be profiled.

Continuing with the green theme, TV One introduces viewers to a new 30m eco-reality series starring actor/director/writer Mario Van Peebles and his family. Mario’s Green House opens September 27 at 6p with eight new episodes airing weekly followed each Sunday at 630p by an encore presentation of the previous week’s episode. Mario’s Green House follows Mario, his wife Chitra and their five children as they begin a major eco-renovation of their existing home and embark on a green lifestyle makeover. The series is produced in collaboration with Equator HD by Hour One LLC.

Bravo opened a sophomore season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta last Thursday night at 10p. The ladies of Atlanta attracted 1.72 million A18-49 and 2.66 million total viewers for the 10p premiere episode, while an additional 929,000 A18-49 and 1.32 million total viewers tuned in for the encore airing at 11p. The cume of both episodes totaled nearly 4 million total viewers, making it the highest-rated Thursday primetime in Bravo’s history as well as topping the series premieres of other “Real Housewives” series in the network’s franchise. 

Multiplatform network Planet Green, a division of Discovery Communications and currently available in 57 million homes, announced a new pilot and development slate, in addition to the return of one series and the acquisition of several more. Each of the projects in development will be simulcast in hi-def and will join Planet Green’s lineup in 2009-2010.  Here is a quick summary of the network’s most recent announcements:
 
New Pilot in Development:

• Buffalo Warriors (wt) – A group of volunteers calling themselves The Buffalo Field Campaign patrols the borders of Yellowstone National Park to protect America’s last herd of free-roaming buffalos. Produced for Planet Green by Authentic Entertainment and premiering 4Q09.

Planet Green – New Series in Development:

• Eco Crime Investigators (wt) – An undercover team of professionals investigate global eco crimes in the highly profitable but illegal wildlife trade. Produced for National Geographic Channels International and Planet Green by Red Earth Studio.
• Bake & Destroy (wt) – Series follows the owners of the first certified organic bakery in America called Bleeding Heart. Produced for Planet Green by Film Garden Entertainment.
• Beekman Farm (wt) – Couple leaves the hectic New York City life behind to open an organic farm in upstate New York, even though they don’t know the first thing about farming. The local town, population 529, comes to their rescue by helping them learn the ropes. Produced for Planet Green by World of Wonder.
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (wt) – Series is about the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission team as they keep the Florida Everglades national park secure from predatory poachers and provide organized animal relocation. Produced for Planet Green by Greif Company.
• The Kamen Code (wt) – Self-made millionaire Dean Kamen is a famous inventor who has converted his island home into a sustainable oasis and is working on ways to offer his ideas to the world. Produced for Planet Green by Radical Media.
• The Last Beekeeper (wt) – Series charts how humans have impacted honeybee colonies and follows several examples of modern-day beekeepers that are passionate about preserving this dying species. Produced for Planet Green by World of Wonder.
• Windcatchers (wt) – Series documents the critical need for wind technicians and workers for the growing wind industry and follows “Turbine Cowboys” as they learn to harness 300 ft. towers. Produced for Planet Green by Luminaria. 

Returning Series on Planet Green:

• Living with Ed – The eco-family drama starring actor/environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. and his wife Rachelle is back for a third season of 13 half-hour original episodes opening October 21. The new season follows the couple’s hilarious adventures as they take on a major home renovation project and travel to Las Vegas. A sneak preview of the new first episode will be available VOD October 14. Produced for Planet Green by Brentwood Communications.

Planet Green also acquired the following five series with most premiering this fall:

• Coolfuel – Adventurer Shaun Murphy embarks on a 16,000-mile journey across the US driving vehicles running on anything and everything except gasoline. 6 60m episodes produced by Balance Vector premieres September 8.
• Planet Mechanics – Pair of eco-engineers, Dick Strawbridge and Jem Stansfield create energy efficient objects combining science and art. 8 60m episodes produced by RenegadePictures premieres September 8.
• The 100 Mile Challenge – Six families living in Mission, British Columbia undergo a challenge to eat food and consume beverages produced within a 100-mile radius of their town for 100 days. Six 60m episodes produced by Paperny Productions premieres October 12.
• Nature, Inc. – Series examines the “what if?” involved in the world economy such as what it would be like if coral reefs or honeybees no longer existed. Six half-hour episodes produced by dev.tv premieres October 13.
• World’s Greenest Homes – A tour of exclusive and glamorous eco-homes located around the world exhibiting cutting edge sustainable technology. Thirten 30m episodes produced by Cineflix premieres January 2010.

Top 10 Weekend Box Office Estimates: July 31-August 2, 2009
Funny People (Universal)                               $23.4 million – opening weekend
Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince (Warner Bros.) $17.7 million – 3 wk total $255.5m
G-Force (Disney)                                         $17.1 million – 2 wk total $66.5m
The Ugly Truth (Sony)                                  $13.0 million – 2 wk total $54.5m
Aliens In The Attic (20th Century Fox)            $7.8 million – opening weekend
The Orphan (Warner Bros.)                           $7.3 million – 2 wk total $26.8m
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (20th Century Fox) $5.3 million – 5 wk total $181.8m
The Hangover (Warner Bros.)                        $5.1 million – 9 wk total $255.8m
The Proposal (Disney)                                  $4.9 million – 7 wk total $148.9m
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Paramount) $4.6 million – 6 wk total $388.1m
Source: Rentrak

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

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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE DEBMAR-MERCURY

Unfortunately, distributor Program Partners announced the one-hour stripped talk show, Marie starring Marie Osmond will not debut as planned this September. Program Partners cites the challenging economic conditions as the cause for the show’s demise, even though Marie had cleared in more than 80% of the US. 

On Friday, the five main voice actors of the animated series Futurama closed deals for new episodes with 20th Century Fox Television following a salary dispute. Actors Katey Sagal, Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille, John DiMaggio and Billy West all agreed to reprise their roles for the show, where new episodes will air on Comedy Central starting the middle of next year. The exact financial terms of the agreement was not disclosed, though all five actors were previously asking for a much higher jump in salary than what the studio offered, prompting 20th Century to consider recasting the roles. Reacting to the news the show would potentially feature different actors, fans of the show said they would veto any cast changes and offered up petitions in support of the original actors.

TV One is working on a new reality series featuring film and TV star LisaRaye who is also the former First Lady of the Turks and Caicos. The series will begin production this fall with filming scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and the Turks and Caicos, following LisaRaye as she works to rejuvenate her acting career and take charge of her personal life. Eight 30m episodes will debut in 2010.

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  In one of its first major actions under the leadership of new chairman Julius Genachowski, the FCC opened an inquiry into Apple‘s rejection of the handy Google Voice app from the iPhone store, reports the Dow Jones news service. In a letter sent to both Apple and AT&T, the commission asks for justifications of the decision as well as for a list and reasons why other applications have been rejected for the platform. The FCC began a broader inquiry into the exclusive deals carriers sign with handset manufacturers earlier this year.  Full edition: CYN DIGITAL.    

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  PBS Kids Go unveils plans at TCA to launch the new series Wilson & Ditch: Digging America exclusively online at www.pbskidsgo.org this fall.  Produced by The Jim Henson Company and targeted to K6-10 the series follows two humorous gopher brothers learning about American culture, history and geography make their way to famous  and less so  destinations across the country in their green-powered van.  The series also features interactive games, original comics as well as blogs and podcasts featuring Wilson and Ditch.  Created by Joe Purdy (story editor/Dinosaur Train, Sid The Science Kid) and Craig Bartlett (creator/Dinosaur Train, Hey Arnold), Purdy will pen the website content, with Bartlett directing the animated segments creating the site’s comic strip material.   Full edition: CYN KIDS.    

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE WARNER BROS. DOMESTIC TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION

Thursday  A18-49 Analysis: FOX stayed on track Thursday night doing best among A18-49 with a 2.0/7, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. CBS was all-knowing at 8p as Big Brother was in charge with 2.1/8 followed by FOX’s Bones rerun at 1.5/5. FOX took over at 9p with So You Think You Can Dance at 2.6/8 while UNIV’s Manana Para Es Siempre posted a second place showing at 2.1/6. It was back to CBS during 10p as an encore episode of The Mentalist prevailed at 1.9/6 and #2 honors went to both NBC’s Law & Order repeat and UNIV’s Mujeres Asesinas at 1.2/4 each.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Thursday, July 30, 2009  time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

CBS: 5.0/9          Big Brother 11 4.1/8, CSI [r] 5.2/9, The Mentalist [r] 5.8/10

FOX: 4.0/7          Bones [r] 3.3/6, So You Think You Can Dance 4.7/8

NBC: 2.4/4          30 Rock [r] 2.5/5, Parks and Recreations [r] 1.9/3, The Office [r] 2.0/4, 30 Rock [r] 1.9/3, Law & Order [r] 3.0/5

ABC: 2.0/4          Grey’s Anatomy [r] 2.2/4, Grey’s Anatomy [r] 2.2/4, Private Practice [r] 1.7/3

UNIV: 1.9/3         En Nombre Del Amor 1.8/3, Manana Para Es Siempre 2.5/4, Mujeres Asesinas 1.4/3

MNT: 0.8/2          My Thursday Night Movie: Leaving Las Vegas 0.8/2

CW: 0.8/1           Smallville [r] 0.8/2, Supernatural [r] 0.8/1

TELE: 0.5/1         Mas Sabe El Diablo 0.5/1, Ninos Ricos 0.4/1, Victorinos 0.5/1

ION: 0.3/1          Reba [r] 0.3/1, Thursday Night Movie: Training Day [r] 0.3/1

A18-49: FOX 2.0/7, CBS 1.8/6, UNIV 1.5/5, NBC 1.2/4, ABC 0.8/3, CW 0.5/2, MNT 0.5/2, TELE 0.4/1, ION 0.2/1

FremantleMedia named Donna Wiffen to the role of SVP/Production and Network, Worldwide Drama (WWD), where she will report to Claire Tavernier who was recently elevated to the position of SEVP/WWD and FMX, FremantleMedia. In addition, Sarah Hoeflich was appointed as SVP/Production and Network, WWD.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE ION TELEVISION

8/7C – Ghost Whisperer

•  The Emmy-nominated series starring Jennifer Love Hewitt kicks off the night

9/8C – Criminal Minds

•  The hit series makes its ION Television debut following Ghost Whisperer

10/9C – Durham County

•  ION Television welcomes its first original series, where no secret stays buried forever

This day in History:  1995 – Westinghouse Electric Corporation announced a deal to buy CBS for $5.4 billion.

Answer to Yesterday’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? BUFFALO GIRLS, starring Angelica Houston as Calamity Jane, and Melanie Griffith as Dora  Kudos to:  Bernard Schmidling-WNYT/Albany; T R Wilkinson-Bull Moose Films/Chicago; Beth Stockton-Meredith Broadcasting/Kansas City; Glenn Gurgiolo-American Life TV/Arlington TX; Laura Pauli-CucinaTestaRossa.com/San Francisco; Alan Perris-The Television Academy/North Hollywood; Cathy Korda-ABC Entertainment/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question:  This team made their initial public debut around 1900, and became widely recognized in the early days of post-Prohibition.  Each year since they travel the country and make live appearances at numerous large events including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Rose Bowl Parade, county fairs, major concerts, and even the Super Bowl.   Arguably, they are collectively one of the best known teams ever.  Who are they?    (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 HISTORY

Later — Cyn
08.03.09

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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE WESTDOC

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A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM IFC

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2009

ABC: Sugarland: Live on the Inside, Dating in the Dark, Dating n the Dark
AZTECA: Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Extranormal de Impacto, Al Extremo
CBS: How I Met Your Mother [r], Rules of Engagement [r], Two and a Half Men [r], Big Bang Theory [r], CSI Miami [r]
CW:  One Tree Hill [r], Gossip Girl [r]
FOX: House [r], More to Love [r]
ION:  Ghost Whisperer, Movie: Hard to Kill
MNT: Twilight Zone, Twilight Zone, Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed [r]
NBC:  Great American Road Trip, L&O: Criminal Intent, Dateline
PBS: Antiques Roadshow, History Detectives, Jazz for Young People
TELE: Mas Sabe el Diablo, Ninos Ricos Padres Pobres, Victorinos
UNIV: El Nombre del Amor, Manana es para Siempre, Cristina      

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