Cynopsis

01.26.09

Good morning. It’s Monday, January 26, 2009, and this is your first early morning briefing, coming to you from the NATPE 2009 convention in Las Vegas.  

Tonight’s Premieres:
Ovation TV: Designer People at 8p
Discovery Channel: One Way Out at 9p
TNT: Trust Me at 10p
 
Tonight’s Finale:
NBC: Superstars of Dance at 8p
 

USA Network’s season two premiere of Burn Notice last Thursday at 10p drew in 2.47 million A18-49 viewers, the most since the show began. The debut episode also attracted 2.69 million A25-54 viewers and 5.12 million total viewers. The network also launched COVERT OPS 2.0, an interactive online game based on Burn Notice and as a follow up to last year’s COVERT OPS 1.0. The game, sponsored by GM’s Saab USA, allows fans of the show to become spies and participate in various challenges and intrigues.

Adding sizzle to Valentine’s Day, Fox Reality Channel brings back new episodes of the original series Battle of the Bods on February 14 at 10p. Hosted by British comedienne Olivia Lee, five women rank themselves in order of physical beauty and try to match the rankings of male judges who are behind a one-way mirror. If similarities occur, the women win cash prizes. Fox Reality Channel also reported the third season premiere of Solitary 3.0 at 9p on January 17 delivered 200,000 A18-49 viewers and 330,000 total viewers.

TV5Monde USA, the 24/7 French-language channel in the U.S., debuts a new monthly series Ecran Vert (Green Screen) this Wednesday at 830p. During the 90-minutes episodes, the series will track a specific issue related to sustainable development followed by an hour of round table discussions with experts led by journalist David Delos.

Top 10 Weekend Box Office Estimates: January 23-25 2009
Paul Blart Mall Cop (Sony)                          $21.5 million – 2 wk total $64.8m
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Sony)         $20.7 million – opening weekend
Gran Torino (Warner Bros.)                         $16.0 million – 7 wk total $97.6m
Hotel for Dogs (Paramount)                        $12.4 million – 2 wk total $37.0m
Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)            $10.6 million – 11 wk total $55.9m
My Bloody Valentine 3D (Lionsgate)             $10.1 million – 2 wk total $37.7m
Inkheart (Warner Bros.)                              $7.7 million – opening weekend
Bride Wars (Fox)                                       $7.0 million- 3 wk total $48.7m
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (Paramount) $6.0 million, 5 wk total $111.0m
Notorious (Fox Searchlight)                         $5.7 million – 2 wk total $31.8m
Source: Rentrak

Pre-NATPE 2009 News: NATPE kicks off on Tuesday this week, continuing through Thursday.  We’ll carry the highlights thru the week and any post-conference news, here.

• Los Angeles-based Rive Gauche Television completed a U.S. broadcast deal with Telefutura for the Spanish version of Whacked Out Sports. The agreement covers seasons one and two with 104 30m episodes slated to premiere on Telefutura later in 2009. Whacked Out Sports showcases extreme sports bloopers from around the world produced by Mighty Oak Productions and Rive Gauche Television holds the global distribution rights.
• Redal Media presents a handful of new original productions at NATPE: the one-hour special Hollywood’s Magic Night documenting the 81st Academy Awards; The Hollywood Entertainment News, a weekly 30m show and media clips focusing on current entertainment news, celebrity sightings and events from the world of film, TV, music, fashion and art; The Truth About Orpheus, a one-hour hi-def documentary highlighting the archaeological sites and artifacts around the world pertaining to Orpheus; Hog Heaven, a 30m weekly reality series (with 50 eps) shot in hi-def about the motorcycle lifestyle; Hollywood Stars, eight monthly clips about new movies; and The Pope of the Century, a one-hour documentary about the life of the late Pope.

New Pilot Pick-Ups: More network pilot announcements from late last week:

• ABC gave a nod to a television adaptation of The Witches of Eastwick from Warner Bros. written and executive produced by Maggie Friedman. The TV version based on the novel by John Updike and the 1987 movie, centers on three women who discover they have supernatural powers after a strange man moves to town.
• Another re-do goes to pilot, as FOX okays a U.S. version of the iconic British comedy series, Absolutely Fabulous. FOX’s take is based on the original, though set in Los Angeles, and will even keep the same main characters, crazy best friends and party-mongers Edina and Patsy and Edina’s disapproving daughter, Saffron. Jennifer Saunders who wrote and starred in the Brit version will executive produce FOX’s edition; Christine Zander will write and executive produce along with Ian Moffitt, Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum. Sony Pictures Television will produce with Tantamount and BBC Worldwide Americas.
• On the heels of picking up the dramedy pilot Mercy revolving around three nurses, NBC approved a second new medical drama pilot titled Trauma about medical emergencies out in the field, though the pick-up is contingent on finding a director. Dario Scardapane wrote the script and will executive produce as will Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey. Universal Media Studios will produce with Berg’s company, Film 44.
• Back to ABC, the network handed a two-hour pilot order for Happy Town, a mystery set in a small town where a series of kidnappings took place seven years prior. The project is billed as similar to ABC’s offbeat drama from the past, Twin Peaks. Happy Town, written as a spec, is from creators Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg who will all executive produce while ABC Studios is set to produce.

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  You’ll have to pry my BlackBerry from my cold dead hands … It was touch and go there for a while but it looks like President Barack Obama has persuaded his security staff to let him keep his BlackBerry after a protracted fight over the issue. The Secret Service feared that a hacker might gain access to highly classified data on the device but acquiesced when the President agreed to some ground rules: only a select group of friends and senior staff will have access and encryption was enhanced to help beef up security. Obama’s Blackberry is reportedly RIM’s 8830 World Edition, which includes GPS capabilities that could potentially reveal the President’s location if hacked into.  Full edition: CYN DIGITAL.

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY: Alloy Entertainment, the folks behind Gossip Girl and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, launches Alloy Entertainment Collaborative, which will accept manuscripts and publish up to 12 books a year, according to Publishers Weekly.  Focusing on young adult, middle grade, and chapter books and women’s fiction, the new unit is being led by EVP Josh Bank.  The report says that Alloy plans to spend in the low five-figures advances against royalties, in contrast to Alloy’s other model that offers writers a revenue split.  In this case only after the advance is recouped will writers participate is a split.  Guidelines are currently being crafted for those looking to submit manuscripts without an agent.  Full edition: CYN KIDS.

Thursday – A18-49 Analysis: ABC had the cure for Thursday night winning with a 3.9/10 A18-49, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. Starting out, though, FOX did best at 8p with Bones at 3.0/8 followed by CBS’ comedies My Name Is Early/Kath & Kim averaging a 2.5/7. ABC then took the 9p hour with Grey’s Anatomy at 5.7/14 with CBS’ CSI next at 4.9/12. ABC remained at #1 through 10p with Private Practice at 3.6/10 and another medical drama, NBC’s ER, came in second place with 3.1/8.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Thursday, January 22, 2009 time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

CBS: 8.0/13         CSI [r] 5.5/9, CSI 10.6/16, Eleventh Hour 7.8/13

ABC: 6.9/11          Ugly Betty 5.1/8, Grey’s Anatomy 9.4/14, Private Practice 6.3/11

FOX: 5.4/8           Bones 6.1/10, Bones 4.7/7

NBC: 4.3/7          My Name Is Earl 4.1/7, Kath & Kim 3.1/5, The Office 4.9/7, 30 Rock 3.9/6, ER 5.1/9

UNIV: 2.3/4          Cuidado con el Angel 2.5/4, Fuego en la Sangre 2.6/4, La Rosa de Guadalupe 1.8/3

CW: 2.0/3            Smallville 2.3/4, Supernatural 1.8/3

MNT: 0.9/1           My Thursday Night Movie: The Man 0.9/1

TELE: 0.8/1          Dona Barbara 0.7/1, El Rostro de Analia 0.8/1, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso 1.0/2, Cartel R 0.9/2

A18-49: ABC 3.9/10, CBS 3.3/9, NBC 3.1/8, FOX 2.7/7, UNIV 1.9/5, CW 1.4/4, TELE 0.6/2, MNT 0.5/1

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) announced Jeffrey Wolf will continue in his role as EVP/Syndication Sales where he supervises domestic syndication and library sales including Dr. Oz, Seinfeld and The King of Queens. Jeffrey reports to John Weiser, President/Distribution, SPT, while the regional sales offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Atlanta all report to him.  Well done, Wolfie, well done!
 
Melanie Adelberg joins Entertainment Studios Networks, Inc. as Head/Acquisitions beginning this week at the NATPE conference in Las Vegas. Melanie previously worked for Oprah Winfrey’s production company, Harpo. In her new position she will be based at the Los Angeles headquarters of Entertainment Studios and will report to Byron Allen, Chairman/CEO.
 

This day in History:  1905 – The world’s largest rough gem-quality diamond, the Cullinan, was discovered in South Africa, weighing 3,106 carats.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:    On what TV show do the characters frequent a coffee shop called Coffee Bucks?  SCRUBS Kudos to: Brian Ricco-MultiVision Media, Inc./Ringwood, NJ; Jim Bono-Hallmark Channel/NY; Kathy Raab-Retirement Living TV/Baltimore; Natalie Brock-Discovery Communications, LLC/Silver Spring, MD; Candice O’Connor-The Richards Group/Dallas; Amanda Kilman-COX Media/Oklahoma City; Larry Glazer-WTTW /Chicago; Danielle Brill-KMBC/Kansas City; Aisha Figilis-ION Media Networks/Burbank; Alex Petrilli, Jr.-Tivo/CA; Kelly Kennemer-Orange Films/Sherman Oaks, CA; Frank Albano/LA; Nancy Dixon Welch-Eclipse Television LLC/Tortola, British Virgin Islands; Kimberly J. Luce-Disney Channel/Spain

Today’s Trivia Question – for NATPE Week, all of the Cynopsis trivia questions will test your knowledge of television history:  Created by the NAB and adopted on March 1, 1952, was a list of rules governing producers of television programs including #1: Shows will not sympathize with evil; #2 Shows will not degrade honesty, goodness and innocence; #3 Figures exercising lawful authority should not be ridiculed; and #4 Law breakers must not go unpunished.  What was the name of this list of rules?   (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.)

CYNOPSIS EVENTS AT NATPE 2009

Later — Cyn
01.26.09

Cynopsis Ad Sales:
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Cyn opsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here    .

JOB OPENING:   DIRECTOR/AD SALES MKTG/ HGTV/NY:   Manage projects such as sweepstakes/write sponsorship proposals & hospitality events w/in deadlines. Full details, http://www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/careers & select req 46 (1/31)

JOB OPENING: TEMP CREATIVE MANAGER/ION/NY: Lead NY based team in creating on air/ adv campaigns for ION TV. Oversee design/writers/production. 5 yrs exp in TV brdcst promotion/cr. service depts.
(1/30)

JOB OPENING: NEW BIZ ACCT EXEC/American Latino Synd/NY: Sell nat’l ads for 2 Synd TV shows & New Scripted Series, 2-5 yrs sales exp req. Fast growth opp in an entrepreneurial envir. Min. travel req. Info: www.americanlatino.tv/jobs (1/30)

JOB OPENING: Hallmark Channel/Studio City/FREELANCE PRODUCER & HOST: Create hosted entertainment pieces. Must write/produce/host See full posting and apply @ www.hallmarkchannel.com (1/28)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCT PLACEMENT PRODUCER/NY: Must have vendor contacts. Neg. & prep contracts for leading prod. co. EM:
(1/27)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT COORD/BBC/LA: Support cble & dig ad sales team. Admin support, data entry, liaise w/ contacts & agencies. Excellent comm & org skills. www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp. EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V (1/27)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT COORD/BBC/NY: Support cble & dig ad sales team. Admin support, data entry, liaise w/ contacts & agencies. Excellent comms & org skills. www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp. EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V (1/27)

JOB OPENING:SR MGR DIG SYNDICATION/BBC/NY:Mng clients/prgrm supply to dig media synd partners. Create line-up of BBC prgrms, promotion & mktg. Strong knwldg BBC Prgrms. www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V (1/27)

JOB OPENING: MGR TV SALES/DISTRIB/BBC/NY: ID new clients, pitch/conclude deals w/ cbl ntwrks & clients. Take prgrms from library & repckg for sale. Strong negotiation/sales skills. www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp EEO/AA empl M/F/D/V (1/27)

JOB OPENING:  DIRECTOR, PROGRAM PLANNING/Disney Channel/Burbank: Oversee Progrm Planning/Schedlng Disney Ch + Playhouse. Mngmnt exp req. Devl/Implmnt Progrm Stratgy. 7 yrs exp Progrm Plan/Sched. www.disneycareers.com REQ 186232 (1/27)

INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free , and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at
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SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  Bowery Presents Media is looking for a DIGITAL SAVVY INTERN to help with production, marketing, & business development. Must have knowledge of the music business & social networks. Email:
(1/31)

SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY Central MA Tech-savvy intern wanted. Duties: research, copy edit, update website, & admin tasks. Work from home with occasional meetings at mutually convenient place. To apply, see info at www.rlfmedia.com/news (1/31)

SPRING INTERNSHIP/CREDITS ONLY: Scribble mats is looking for TWO CREATIVE INTERNS. Must be proficient in Illustrator and Photoshop and/or Flash, web experience is a plus. Contact Arlene at
to apply. www.scribblemats.com (1/30)

SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: A fast-paced boutique ent PR firm/NY: Seeks smart, hard-working & reliable self starter. Starts Jan thru spring semester &, possibly, beyond. Jr/Sr only. Resume/cover letter:
(1/29)

SPRING INTERNSHIP/CREDITS ONLY: LICENSING INTERNS/Licensing Link, Ltd/NYC: Asst President as needed in daily licensing duties. Highly orgnzd & reliable; Must have skills in MS Word/Excel/Powerpoint. Contact:
(1/29)

SPRING INTERNSHIP/CREDITS ONLY:  INTERN / HGTV & DIY/UNPAID/COURSE CREDIT REQ/NY: Working with Ad Sales MKTG team on projects such as sweepstakes and sponsorships. Full details, http://www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/careers & select req 213 (1/29)

SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Premiere NYC-based agency is searching for Spring and Summer DIGITAL MARKETING & STRATEGY INTERNS: Must have interest in social networking. Contact
(1/28)

SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: NEW MEDIA/DIGITAL INTERNS/NBCU/NY: Asst New Media Manager w dig content, mktg & rsrch. Highly innovative & reliable Soph/Jrs/Srs; Excellent Word/PPT/Photoshop/HTML skills.Email
res & cvr ltr (1/28)

SPRING INTERNSHIP/CREDITS ONLY: ENTERTAINMENT/MKTG & COMM INTERNS/Cynopsis Media/Shelton CT: Asst various depts as needed in advrtsng sales, mktg, & rsrch. Highly orgnzd & reliable Sophomores/Jrs/Srs; Excellent MS Word/Excel skills. Contact:
(1/27)

SPRING INTERNSHIP/CREDITS ONLY: Razor & Tie Entertainment: Independent music label is looking for qualified interns for Winter/Spring 2009. Internships available in MKTG, PRESS, A&R, NEW MEDIA AND MUSIC PUBLISHING Please mail
(1/27)

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED …  There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad … for more information contact Trish Pihonak at

SITUATION WANTED:   Award winning On-Air / Off-Air CREATIVE DIRECTOR. 20 years network / cable experience. Innovative promotion, design, branding and strategy. Hard working, detail oriented, motivated, avail today.
(1/31)

SITUATION WANTED: PRINT/INTERACTIVE PROJECT MANAGER in LA. Diligent, efficient, & detail oriented. See http://www.linkedin.com/in/domanus. Open to FTE, Contract, short/long term gigs. Can work remotely as well. Contact
(1/31)

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCTION ASSISTANT. I am experienced, hard-working, no drama, detail oriented, and ready to start immediately.  Please contact me at
(1/31)

SITUATION WANTED: Recent Harvard grad and FREELANCE WRITER will do pretty much anything involving words and writing them. Currently writing for a Gawker blog. Hard worker, strong writer, great bargain. (NYC)
(1/31)

SITUATION WANTED:   ADMIN/EXEC ASST (NYC): 22 years experience with top firm supporting VPs and assisting President. Microsoft Office skills. Worked under deadline. Multi-tasker/quick learner.
(1/31)

SITUATION WANTED: TONY NOM. B’WAY PROD/THEATRE CONSULT/ACQUIS. & DEV./NYC 30+ yrs exp. in theatre. Superb theatre/film/TV contacts seeks FT or Consulting Position w/Studio/Prod Co. looking for properties. Contact:
(1/30)

SITUATION WANTED: Well networked Sr. RECRUITER (LA base) w/10 yrs exp in online media & entertainment. (Yahoo! Disney, etc) Open to FTE, Contract, short term or long term gigs. Can work remotely as well. Contact
(1/30)

SITUATION WANTED: Professional SINGER & EXPERIENCED VOCAL TEACHER seeks voice students for expanding private studio in Nassau County, NY. All experience levels & musical styles welcome. For more info email:
(1/30)

SITUATION WANTED: SPONSORSHIP MARKETING/NY: Experience in evaluating and negotiating sponsorships and promotions. All media types- broadcast, outdoor, print, digital, mobile, hospitality, etc. Contact:
(1/29)

SITUATION WANTED: LIFESTYLE SEGMENT PRODUCER/DESIGNER: Produce /design lifestyle segments for NBC, ABC, Disney, E!, Martha Stewart Living, and Turner Classic Movies.SAG Member
  / www.andrewpaulbinder.com (1/29)

SITUATION WANTED:POWER COPYWRITERS– headed up by former broadcast network player,specializing in tv promos & taglines. Credits from Fortune 500 entertainment companies.
(1/29)

SITUATION WANTED: A WRITER’S WRITER! Not a prod./dir./ed.-turned-writer-b/c-of-the-economy! Written: MTV scripts, nat’l print ads (Pepsi, X-Box), & for NY Post, RS, Vibe. Gen. X, smart, witty, bi-lingual.
(1/28)

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER/WRITER/DIRECTOR (NY) Ultra-creative, award winning, all formats, all genres, all major networks and major cable.  Fast, frugal and fun!
(1/28)

SITUATION WANTED: TV PROGRAM EXECUTIVE 15 + yrs exp, Creative, great work ethic, knwldgbl, sense of humor, can relocate. See www.linkedin.com/in/joepauly. Looking for next great opp in cable or brdcst TV. Contact
(1/28)

SITUATION WANTED: DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, WRITER in L.A. Credits include National Geographic, PBS, Discovery, History Channel, TLC and MSNBC. Contact email:
(1/28)

SITUATION WANTED: NON-FICTION DEVELOPMENT PRODUCER. I will write and develop your pitch & produce and direct a winning sales tape. 3 Emmy noms; unscripted or narrative formats; LA based, will travel.
(1/27)

SITUATION WANTED: INNOVATIVE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Award winning and highly creative. Major network & cable experience, all genres: Childrens, Reality, Lifestyle, Documentary. In NY but will travel. View reel & CV: www.kirstynordal.com (1/27)

SITUATION WANTED: Seasoned TALENT ACQUISITION Specialist, HR Generalist (NYC based) w/ significant exp in fashion, PR, marcom & entertainment industries seeks PT, FT, Freelance or Consulting opportunities.Contact
(1/27)

SITUATION WANTED: FREELANCE DRTV MEDIA BUYER with more than 15 years experience buying national and local cable, syndication, and local broadcast markets seeking FT or PT work from home office. Please contact me at
(1/27)

SITUATION WANTED: FREELANCE or Full-time MEDIA BUYER w/ over 25 yrs of buying exp. is newly available. Seeking F/T or Freelance wk from your office or my home (New York based) Please contact me @
(1/27)

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Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 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 [r], One Tree Hill [r]
FOX: House, 24
ION: NCIS, NCIS, NCIS
MNT: Twilight Zone [r], Twilight Zone [r], Masters of Illusion
NBC: Superstars of Dance [f ], The Last Templar (Conclusion)
PBS: Antiques Roadshow, American Experience
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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