Cynopsis

02.02.09

Good morning. It’s Monday, February 2, 2009, and this is your first early morning briefing. 

Tonight’s Premieres:
NBC: Chuck at 8p; Heroes at 9p; Medium at 10p
VH1: I Love Money at 9p; For the Love of Ray J at 1030p

Tonight’s Finales:
MTV: Bromance at 9p
Lifetime: Diettribe at 10p

NBC revealed its sold-out advertising inventory within Super Bowl XLIII broke all previous Super Bowl records totaling $206 million, though the total for the entire Super Sunday ticked up to $261 million. Spots within the Big Game went for $3 million apiece, while spots in the pregame went for $44,500 per spot during the first hour (noon-1p) and up to $1.6 million for those placed in the 15-minute window prior to kick-off. NBC tallied a total of 32 advertisers and their commercials can be viewed online via NBC.com, Hulu.com and Superbowl.com.

~ MORE GOOD STUFF ~

MTV is bringing back a fourth installment of Making The Band, picking up the story of Danity Kane, Day 26 and Donnie Klang where the last season ended. Making The Band 4 premieres February 12 at 9p and this Thursday at 9p, fans of the series can watch a third season re-cap special titled Damaged: A Making The Band Special. Bad Boy Entertainment produces the franchise.

TNT will air an encore run of the series Star Wars: The Clone Wars in hi-def starting February 14 at 11p with back-to-back episodes following TNT’s NBA All-Star Saturday Night. The series will slide into its regular time period of Wednesdays at 10p and will continue with double episodes each week. The twenty-two episode animated series from Lucasfilm Animation, originally debuted to record ratings on TNT’s sister network Cartoon Network last October.

Discovery Health announced plans for a month-long event titled Mystery March starting March 2 at 8p. On Mondays in March, Discovery Health will serve up three consecutive hours of medical mystery programming including two episodes of Dr G: Medical Examiner produced by Atlas Media Corp. at 8p and 9p where Dr. Jan Garavaglia solves challenging juvenile medical cases followed by new episodes of Mystery Diagnosis produced by True Entertainment at 10p, the series profiling real-life medical mysteries.

VELOCITY Broadcasting, a hi-def broadcasting network based in Pittsburgh introduces a variety of new broadcast services early this year including hi-def production and programs, Blu-ray distribution and an online capability for live HDTV to the desktop as well as on-demand hi-def streaming and podcasting. VELOCITY will expand its coverage in North America via a private club network, providing added broadcast day parts.

Top 10 Weekend Box Office Estimates: January 30-February 1, 2009
Taken (20^th Century Fox)                            $24.6 million  opening weekend
Paul Blart Mall Cop (Sony)                            $14.0 million  3 wk total $83.4m
The Uninvited (Paramount)                          $10.5 million  opening weekend
Hotel for Dogs (Paramount)                          $8.7 million  3 wk total $48.2m
Gran Torino (Warner Bros.)                          $8.6 million – 8 wk total $110.5m
Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)             $7.7 million  12 wk total $67.2m
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Sony)          $7.2 million  2 wk total $32.8m
New In Town (Lionsgate)                            $6.8 million  opening weekend
My Bloody Valentine 3D (Lionsgate)             $4.3 million  3 wk total $44.6m
Inkheart (Warner Bros.)                              $3.7 million  2 wk total $12.8m
Source: Rentrak

~ PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT ~

New Pilot Pick-Ups: A slew of pilots were approved on a couple of major broadcast networks late last week:

• ABC okayed two comedy pilots: The New Twenty from writer/executive producer Tad Quill (Scrubs) and ABC Studios about two forty-ish friends who are at different junctures in life; and Let It Go starring Lauren Graham (The Gilmore Girls) as a talk show host who is dumped by her boyfriend and having a hard time “letting it go”. Let It Go is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount and Alex Herschlag is the writer/executive producer while Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum will also executive produce.
• On Friday, ABC picked up three additional drama pilots: Limelight, inspired somewhat by musician/hip-hop producer Pharrell Williams’ youth spent at a performing arts school, is about kids and faculty set at a similar performing arts school in New York. The project is from McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision label as well as Warner Bros. Television; K.J. Steinberg (Gossip Girl) is writing and will executive produce with McG and Leonard Goldberg while David Semel will direct and executive produce. Wonderland TV’s Peter Johnson will co-executive produce while Williams will be consulting producer. The second drama pilot is an untitled Jerry Bruckheimer 60m crime project from Warner Bros. Television about amateur crime solvers, though internally it is called “The Unknown.” Mark Friedman wrote the script and will executive produce with Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman; Danny Cannon (CSI) will direct and executive produce the pilot. The third drama from ABC Studios is called Empire State revolving around a “Romeo and Juliet” love story complete with two feuding families. Michael Seitzman penned the script and will executive produce based on a story he created with Jeff Reiner; Mark Gordon and Deb Spera will also executive produce.
• CBS consented to three drama pilots all produced by CBS Paramount Network Television: the first is titled Back about a man who disappeared during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and remarkably shows up eight years later and tries to reconnect with his family. From Storyline Entertainment, Back was written by Dean Widenmann (Bones, CSI: Miami) who will also be supervising producer; Storyline’s Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will executive produce. CBS next approved the hour-long pilot Washington Field set inside the FBI’s Washington field office about a team of agents handling top-priority cases. Ed Bernero (Criminal Minds) will executive produce and Jim Clemente and Tim Clemente wrote the script. The third project is an untitled legal drama from Frank Military (The Unit) about a group of federal prosecutors based in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan.

A&E Network signaled a go-ahead for the new original, real-life series Obsessed about people who suffer extreme anxiety disorders. Produced by Tijuana Entertainment, the network ordered eleven 60m episodes. Production has begun and the series is scheduled to open the latter half of 2009.

ABC Family handed 10-episode orders to three new series, all focused on females. The network also announced a handful of renewals:

• 10 Things I Hate About You is a single-camera comedy based on the feature film of the same name and centered on the Stratford sisters Kat (Lindsey Shaw) and Bianca (Meaghan Jette Martin). Carter Covington wrote the pilot which was directed by Gil Junger who also directed the film.
• The second series, a comedy titled Ruby and the Rockits is from ABC Studios and stars Patrick Cassidy as a retired former teen idol whose life gets turned upside down when his former band mate and brother (David Cassidy) shows up with his teenage daughter (Alexa Vega).
• Perfect 10 is a 60m drama centered on the world of competitive gymnastics; Holly Sorensen is the creator and is executive producing.
• Additionally, ABC Family also renewed the college dramedy Greek for a third season and the drama Lincoln Heights for a fourth season with 10-episodes each. The network did cancel Kyle XY after three seasons and The Secret Life of the American Teenager was confirmed for a renewal though the size of the order is pending.

~ ELSEWHERE IN CYNOPSIS ~

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  Here we go again. The Senate passed a second bill unanimously late on Thursday to delay the nation’s switch to digital television until June after the first legislative effort failed to pass the House. This time the Senate modified the bill to make the delay voluntary, meaning that stations that are ready to make the switch can still go ahead as planned. The House is expected to pass this version and President Obama has already said he will sign it into law. Nielsen has estimated that more than 6.5 million homes aren’t yet digital ready. Meanwhile more than 3 million Americans are still awaiting coupons to help defray the costs of converter boxes after the coupon program ran out of money. Proposed legislation sets aside another $650 million for more coupons.   Full edition: CYN DIGITAL.

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  Meat Loaf, the singer not the dinner, will be a special guest on Bookaboo (13 episodes), the new CiTV‘s (UK) kid-targeted TV series that launches March 2, 2009.  Designed to encourage and given parents the confidence to read to their kids Bookaboo is directed and produced by Lucy Goodman for Happy Films.  Meat Loaf will read the story The Lamb Who Came To Dinner to the show’s rock n’ roll drumming cartoon puppy, for which the series is named.  Each episode a celebrity will read a story back stage with Bookaboo on his Bookabus, because for Bookaboo it is … “a story a day or he jut can’t play.”  Other stars set to read books with Bookaboo including Amanda Holden (Britain’s Got Talent judge), Al Murray (Pub Landlord) and Mel C (Spice Girl), as well as Alesha Dixon (Strictly Come Dancing), Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, Julian Clary (comedian) and Robson Green (actor). Full edition: CYN KIDS.

~ RATINGS ~

Thursday – A18-49 Analysis: FOX had first dibs at #1 Thursday night with 7.1/18 A18-49, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. FOX’s American Idol led the pack overwhelmingly at 8p with 9.3/25 with UNIV’s Cuidado con el Angel in second with 2.0/5. CBS came in first at 9p with CSI delivering a 5.4/13 while the season premiere of Hell’s Kitchen on FOX lit a path to second place with 4.8/12. CBS was on top again during 10p with Eleventh Hour at 3.1/8 followed by ABC’s Private Practice at 2.8/8.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Thursday, January 29, 2009 time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

FOX: 10.0/16      American Idol 13.6/21, Hell’s Kitchen [p] 6.3/10

CBS: 8.6/14         Criminal Minds [r] 5.7/9, CSI 12.0/18, Eleventh Hour 8.1/14

ABC: 4.0/6          Ugly Betty [r] 2.8/4, Grey’s Anatomy [r] 4.0/6, Private Practice 5.4/9

NBC: 3.1/5          My Name Is Earl [r] 3.3/5, Kath & Kim [r] 2.3/3, The Office [r] 3.6/5, 30 Rock [r] 3.2/5, ER [r] 3.1/5

CW: 2.4/4            Smallville 2.6/4, Supernatural 2.2/3

UNIV: 2.3/4          Cuidado con el Angel 2.4/4, Fuego en la Sangre 2.7/4, La Rosa de Guadalupe 1.8/3

MNT: 0.9/1           My Thursday Night Movie: Dangerous Minds 0.9/1

TELE: 0.7/1          Dona Barbara 0.7/1, El Rostro de Analia 0.7/1, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso 0.8/1, Cartel R 0.7/1

A18-49: FOX 7.1/18, CBS 3.5/9, UNIV 2.0/5, NBC 1.9/5, ABC 1.8/5, CW 1.7/4, TELE 0.6/2, MNT 0.5/1

~ EXECUTIVE MOVES ~

Steve Maddox will continue in his position as EVP/Southern Region with Sony Pictures Television (SPT) where he manages the sales of SPT’s syndicated programs Dr. Oz, Seinfeld and The King of Queens in the Southern region. Steve reports to Jeff Wolf, EVP/Synidcation Sales, SPT.

Horizon Media announced several upper-level promotions:

• Ned Gorges was upped to Supervisor from Specialist in the New York office’s out of home group.
• Alex Grier is now Director/Response Broadcast up from Group Manager/Broadcast in the direct response group based in New York.
• Denise Hooper moves up to Account Supervisor from AE in the brand strategy group based in New York.
• Fahan Khawaja was named Associate Director up from Supervisor in the New York office’s out of home group.
• Michaela Krams was promoted to Brand Group Director up from Associate Brand Group Director in the Los Angeles office’s brand strategy group.
• Nancy Larkin was upgraded to SVP/Director of Local TV up from VP/Managing Director in the New York office’s local TV buying group.
• Joel Mayne was elevated to Director/Brand Planning up from Supervisor/Media Planning in the brand strategy group based in Los Angeles.
• Este Mlynowski has become Broadcast Group Manager up from Associate Broadcast Group Manager in the local TV buying group located in Los Angeles.

Former DreamWorks SKG SVP/Business Affairs executive, Jack Bleck joins CBS Films as EVP/Business Affairs. Jack will supervise negotiations for project acquisitions, talent agreements and other business deals for CBS Films, reporting to Bruce Tobey, COO.

Amy Chiaro was tapped by Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television (SPT) as Co-Executive Producer for Dr. Oz, the new syndicated series opening this fall. Amy previously was Senior Broadcast Producer for NBC News’ Today where she managed all facets of the 7-9a hours plus she was also Executive Producer for Today Weekend Edition.

This day in History:  1887 – The first Groundhog Day was held in Punxsutawney, PA

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:    MTV debuted at 12:01AM on August 1, 1981. What was the first music-video shown?  ? VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR (by the Buggles) Kudos to: Chris Schwieterman-Gray Television, Inc./Tallahassee, FL; Tom Buontempo-Momentum Worldwide/NY; Kavitha Shastry-Bloomberg TV/NY; Bret Rice  Comcast Spotlight/Pittsburgh; Ron Salcedo-Zimmerman/Nashville; Jeanette Gipson-JA integrated thinking/Brentwood, TN; Gretchen Brady-KDAF/Dallas; Bill Prange-The Sportsman Channel/New Berlin, WI; Phillip Nakov/LA; Chris Huynh-MTV Networks/San Francisco; Lilian Lemer-MyMac Productions/Venice, CA; Ken DuBow-PorchLight/LA; Jim Snider-CTV Television/Toronto; Samuel Capelin/Sydney, Australia; Arthur Reinstein-Canwest Broadcasting/Toronto; Cherie Oldenburg-E1 Entertainment Television International/Toronto

Today’s Trivia Question: : Jamie Lee Curtis played a military nurse in a late ’70s sitcom spawned from a 1959 movie starring Cary Grant. What was the name of this series? (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.)

Later — Cyn
02.02.09

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2009

ABC: The Bachelor, True Beauty
AZTECA: Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Historia Detras del Mito, Al Extremo
CBS: The Big Bang Theory [r], How I Met Your Mother [r], Two and a Half Men [r], Worst Week [r], CSI: Miami [r]
CW: Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill
FOX: House, 24
ION: NCIS, NCIS, NCIS
MNT: Twilight Zone [r], Twilight Zone [r], Masters of Illusion [r]
NBC: Chuck, Heroes, Medium [p ]
PBS: Antiques Roadshow, American Experience , Forgotten Ellis Island
TELE: Dona Barbara, El Rostro de Analia, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso
UNIV: Cuidado con el Angel, Fuego on la Sangre, Cristina

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