CYNTHIA TURNER’S
Cynopsis

08/11/05

Good morning.  It’s Thursday, August 11, 2005, and this is your first early morning briefing. Remember, if you’d rather listen than read, you can sign up for the Cynopsis: In Your Ear podcast available for download each morning by 630a at www.cynopsis.com or via iTunes 4.9, listed in the podcast directory under “News.”

Jean Golden and Todd Walker filed a lawsuit in federal court yesterday, naming ABC, Simon Cowell and FremantleMedia North America as defendants.  Golden and Walker allege the defendants ripped off their show Million Dollar Idea, currently airing in syndication in more than 125 markets nationwide.  Million Dollar Idea is taped at the Mall of America, where inventors and their big ideas compete to win a chance to launch their product and have it sold in one of the stores at the Mall.  In 2004 the show was pitched to ABC. Last month, it was announced ABC, Cowell and FremantleMedia NA were developing a new show call The Million Dollar Idea, and according to their press release, it was created by Cowell and is a  “nationwide search for America’s greatest entrepreneur with the best business idea or new product.”  The winner gets a million bucks in business support to launch his/her idea.  The Plaintiffs allege this is a direct and total rip off of their show.  The suit looks to stop the network from moving forward with the idea, stop using the name, and asks for unspecified monetary damages. 

Tonight’s Finale:
ABC:  ABC News’ Hooking Up at 9p

The 6th and final season of The Sopranos is set to debut in March 2006, with 10-13 original episodes.  According to Hollywood Reporter, there is potential for as many as seven additional episodes, as HBO looks to stretch out the end of this show for as long as possible.  Nothing definite as yet; more on this as it becomes available.

Court TV will launch its newest original series Smoking Gun TV on August 16 at 11pm.  Straight from the popular website thesmokinggun.com, each episode uses the documents as the basis for irreverent vignettes using marionettes, bobble head dolls, action figures, hand puppets and animation.

The Weinstein Company and Palisades Media Group have entered into an agreement for Palisades to oversee all of the company’s media buying and planning. The Weinstein Company is the new multi-media company created by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who co-founded Miramax Films in 1979.  This agreement builds on an already strong relationship between the Weinstein’s and Palisades Media Group, which handled Miramax’s account from 1996-April 2003, and resumed media buying and planning for the company in 2004.

CBS Paramount International TV sold the format rights of America’s Next Top Model (10 By 10 Ent/Bankable Prods) to ProSieben, and Germany’s Next Top Model will feature host Heidi Klum, per Variety. Format rights were also sold in Russia, France, Thailand, the UK, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Phillapines.

Correction :  The FX premieres of Starved and Always Sunny in Philadelphia actually aired last Thursday, with encores airing last Sunday.  The numbers represented in yesterday’s item, however, were the premiere numbers (1.5m and 1.4m, respectively).

CORRECTED: Top 10 Cable Programs among A18-49 (000) for the week of 8/1-8/7, 2005: (yesterday’s was P2+, not A18-49)
NAN      Real World XVI           3240
SPK     WWE Ent Mon 10p 2598
SPK     WWE Ent Mon 9p  2381
TNT     The Closer               2317
USA     Monk                       2024
USA     The 4400                 1998
FX      Rescue Me                1936
USA     The Dead Zone            1787
ADSM    Family Guy               1768
FX      Deuce Bigalow            1603
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research Data.
All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 109,600,000 homes

Fox:

• Reunion (Warner Bros. TV/Class IV Prods) has cast Gregory Harrison in a recurring role as Russell Bennett, a wealthy real estate developer and father to another Reunion character played by Sean Faris.  Harrison also appeared in the pilot.  Reunion is scheduled for Thursdays at 9p this fall.
• The War at Home (Acme Prods/Warner Bros. TV) has added Rami Malek in a recurring role as best friend of Kyle Sullivan’s character, a role he played in the pilot. This comedy is about the kids of head-in-the-sand parents who are now parents themselves, and struggling with three teenage kids who are all doing the same dumb stuff. It’s scheduled for thsi fall on Sunday nights at 830p.
• Untitled legal drama from Steven Bochco. 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.

WB:

• On a lighter note, Steven Bochco is creating another drama for the WB network, this one with a pair of detectives working the Hollywood beat at the LAPD,says Variety.  Fitting in with the WB target demo of 12-34, this show features young detectives who go about their job a little differently than the average cop on the beat.  WB has ordered a script.

NBC:

• E-Ring (Warner Bros. TV/Jerry Bruckheimer TV) has cast Kelsey Oldershaw in a recurring role as the love interest to Benjamin Bratt’s character.  E-Ring is scheduled for Wednesdays at 9p this fall.

CBS:

• Everything I Know About Men (Touchstone TV) exec producer Rob Hanning is reporting taking over the showrunner reins following the departure of creator/exec prod Fred Barron.  This show is set for midseason 2006, and stars Jenna Elfman, Brady Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Rhea Seehorn, Lauren Tom and Dabney Coleman.

Sony Pictures Television has signed director Kevin Rodney Sullivan to a one year development deal. And as an extension to that deal, Sony is looking to purchase Sullivan’s film pitch called If the Shoe Fits.  The film is set in the 15th century and picks up post-Honeymoon of a fairy tale prince and princess.

Correction : Jake 2.0 was misidentified here as being a WB series.  Not so.  It aired on UPN.  Also, in the show Love Monkey (Sony Pictures TV/Paramount Network TV), the story is told from the point of view of the character played by Tom Cavanagh (not Jason Priestly). Cavanagh’s character is a music company executive.

Joshua Katz has been named VP/Marketing for Lucasfilm Ltd.  He will lead the global marketing initiatives for all upcoming television and feature-film projects from Lucasfilm Ltd. and also guide the company’s corporate-branding projects.  Joshua will report to Jim Ward, SVP/Lucasfilm.

Tribune Media Net, the national advertising sales organization for Tribune Company, announced that Lee Jones has been appointed VP/Eastern Region Sales, effective August 17. He will lead the sales activities of TMN’s New York office and manage a number of sales teams focused on national advertisers.

Steve Dolcemaschio has been named EVP/Finance and Business Operations, E! Networks, it was announced by Ted Harbert, President & CEO. In this newly created position,  Steve will now oversee all aspects of E! Networks’ business operations for E! and The Style Network, including business development, production management, and business & legal affairs. Additionally, he will continue to manage the company’s financial, human resources, and facility operations. 

Alright, I’m tired of hearing about lung cancer.  First, Peter Jennings.  Then Christopher Reeve’s wife, Dana, has been diagnosed. And now, Barbara Bel Geddes has died of the disease.  Bel Geddes, aka Miss Ellie on Dallas, was 82, and passed away in her home in Maine.  Bel Geddes won an Oscar in 1948 for the film I Remember Mama, and in 1955 brought to life Tennessee Williams’ Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, on Broadway.  In 1978 she moved into livingrooms across the country as Miss Ellie, the matriarch of the Ewing family, and won an Emmy for her role in 1980.

Tuesday — A18-49 Analysis:   CBS won Tuesday night by a share point over Fox with a 2.9/8 A18-49 rating, according to fast affiliate ratings from Nielsen Media Research.  Fox earned a 2.2/7, followed by ABC 1.9/6, NBC 1.8/5, WB 1.1/3, UPN 0.8/2.  At 8p CBS and Fox tied, both earning a 7 share; CBS with a repeat of NCIS, and Fox with a repeat of Trading Spouses.  Meet Mister Mom on NBC at 8p drew a 1.7/6, tied in share with ABC. At 9p Big Brother scored a 3.5/10, the only hour of bcst TV all night to reach double digit shares.  CBS held its lead at 10p with Rock Star: INXS delivering a 3.0/8, two share point ahead of L&O: SVU on NBC.

Fast Affiliate Ratings: Tuesday, August 9,  2005, for all Networks – time period averages. Source: Nielsen Media Research. 

CBS     5.4/9    NCIS [r] 6.4/11, Big Brother 5.5/9,  Rock Star: INXS 4.4/7

NBC     3.9/7    Meet Mister Mom 3.1/6, I Want To Be a Hilton 2.7/4, L&O: SVU [r] 5.7/10

FOX     3.8/6    Trading Spouses [r] 3.3/6, House [r] 4.3/7

ABC    3.7/6    My Wife and Kids [r] 3.5/7, Rodney [r] 3.0/5, According to Jim [r] 4.0/7, Rodney [r] 3.7/6, Boston Legal  4.1/7

WB      1.6/3    Gilmore Girls [r] 1.5/3, Gilmore Girls [r] 1.7/5

UPN     1.4/2    One on One 1.1/2, Eve [r] 1.3/2, R U The Girl [r] 1.6/3

A18-49            CBS 2.9/8, Fox 2.2/7, ABC 1.9/6, NBC 1.8/5, WB 1.1/3, UPN 0.8/2

The History Channel presents This Day in History:
1970:  The spork is patented by the Van Brode Milling Company of Massachusetts.  The spoon-like utensil, with the tines of a fork, was said to have been introduced into Japan by the U.S. Army to wean the population there from the use of chopsticks.  Its inventor is unknown.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question: Here’s the slogan – “Smart.  Very Smart.”  You give me the product.  MAGNOVOX    Kudos to:  Andrea Nielsen-FOX Interactive Media/NY; Lisa Zurawicki-WNYT /Albany; Kristen Barton-Showtime/NY; Mitt Dawson-Fox Sports Net/Houston; Rob Siegel-Sabre Inc/Dallas; Kathy Alexander-Spot Plus/Dallas; Misti Ray-KSTU Fox/Salt Lake City; Tony Munoz-Viacom TV Stations Group/LA; Timothy Simko-KOMO/Seattle WA; Jake Hanover/Los Angeles; Debra Cherney-Carsey Werner/Studio City

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM COURT TV

Today’s Trivia Question: Sidney Schanberg’s brilliant novel “The Death and Life of Dith Pran” was retitled and made into a film.  Which movie was this? (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
08.11.05  – 5:13am
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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT: Thursday, August 11, 2005

ABC              Extreme Makeover [r], ABC News: Hooking Up [f], Primetime Live
CBS              Big Brother, CSI [r], Without A Trace [r]
FOX              That 70’s Show [r], That 70’s show [r],The O.C. [r]
NBC              Joey [r], Will & Grace [r],  Scrubs,  ER [r]
PAX              Doc,  Diagnosis Murder, Early Edition
UPN              WWE Smackdown
WB               Smallville [r], Everwood [r]
TELE             El Cuerpo del Deseo, Los Plateados, Decisiones
UNIV             Apuesta por un Amor, La Madrastra,  Aqui y Ahora