“Scream: The Inside Story” to be featured on BIO Channel April 6
Neve Campbell of "Scream" - Photo Courtesy of Panic Ventures
BIO Channel is set to air “Scream: The Inside Story” at 7 p.m. April 6, according to a news release.
The two-hour special includes exclusive, behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew of the 1996 slasher movie “Scream,” directed by Wes Craven, which premiered at a time when horror movies were declining in popularity.
However, it went on to shatter horror film box office records, earning over $100 million in domestic box office receipts, helped the careers of Craven, first-time screenwriter Kevin Williamson and its actors, which included Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich and Rose McGowan.
“Scream: The Inside Story” presents all-new interviews with Wes Craven, Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, Rose McGowan and Matthew Lillard, along with other cast and crew members.
“Mad Men’s” fifth season delayed until 2012
Jon Hamm as Don Draper in "Mad Men" - AP Photo/AMC
“Mad Men’s” fifth season has been delayed until 2012 because the show’s cable network AMC and producer Lionsgate are battling its creator Matt Weiner over a new contract and budget cuts.
The complete report, provided by McClatchy-Tribune News Service, is as follows:
Talks stall between ‘Mad Men’ creator Matt Weiner and AMC, Lionsgate
By Joe Flint and Melissa Maerz
Los Angeles Times
(MCT)
LOS ANGELES — There may be some cutbacks coming to the advertising agency of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
The companies behind the critically acclaimed drama “Mad Men” — cable network AMC and producer Lionsgate — are battling with Matt Weiner, the show’s Emmy Award-winning creator over a new contract and budget cuts, which would include trimming the large ensemble cast.
If Weiner does not agree to a new deal, AMC and Lionsgate have signaled they are prepared to continue to produce “Mad Men” without him. Lionsgate has an agreement in place with AMC for a fifth season with or without Weiner, whose contract expired after the fourth season ended last fall.
Dropping Weiner would be tantamount to blasphemy to the show’s incredibly devoted, but relatively small, audience. Like his mentor David Chase of “The Sopranos,” Weiner closely supervises the writing of every episode and is known for obsessing over the details of “Mad Men,” which uses the Lucky Strike-smoking, secretary-leering, four-martini-lunch lifestyles of Manhattan ad men as a lens into the culture of the 1960s at large.
The stalled talks mean that the show, which usually starts its 13-episode run in the summer, now won’t air its fifth season until early 2012. People close to the show think March is the earliest it could be back on the air.
Although “Mad Men” has modest ratings — last season it averaged 3.2 million viewers — and is not even AMC’s most-watched show (“The Walking Dead” has that distinction), it put the network on the map and fired it into the cultural zeitgeist.
When critics talk about the new golden age of television, “Mad Men” is often the first show they cite as an example. Since it debuted in 2007, the show has won 13 Emmys and four Golden Globes and was the first basic cable series to win the Emmy for outstanding drama series, an honor it received in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Set in the early 1960s, chronicling the upheaval between McCarthy-era conformism and the countercultural revolution to come, “Mad Men” has been praised for bringing new depth to the secret lives of secretaries, boardroom flacks and housewives.
For the show to remain under Weiner, he will have to agree to a three-year pact worth about $30 million, according to people close to all the parties involved in the negotiations who declined to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the talks. At that figure, Weiner would become one of the highest-paid producers in television.
Weiner, through his spokesman, declined to comment.
One of the major sticking points concerns the number of commercials in each episode. Currently, AMC pays about $3 million to Lionsgate for each episode of the show. To cover the rising costs of airing “Mad Men,” the network has indicated it wants to add more commercials, which would obviously cut into the show’s length.
Another obstacle in the negotiations are the use of so-called product placement and product integration in the program. The network would like to see more of them as a means of generating additional revenue. And certain to prompt outrage among fans, up to six members of the cast may be axed from the show in a cost-cutting move over the next three seasons, a person close to the show said.
For his part, Weiner has been extremely protective of the show and in the past has fought efforts to bump up commercial time on his show. Two years ago, AMC compromised with Weiner and added more commercials without trimming the program length.
Relations between Weiner, AMC and Lionsgate have over the years frequently been less than harmonious. In the current tumult, it’s unclear though when Weiner was first approached to discuss a new deal for a fifth season. People close to him say he was only recently asked about renewing his deal, while those in the Lionsgate and AMC camps say they’ve been trying to complete this for almost a year.
As for the cast, Weiner has cut characters before. For instance, a very popular closeted gay character Sal Romano, who was portrayed by Bryan Batt, was dropped from the show after Season 3. But that decision was Weiner’s, and — according to people close to Weiner — the show runner would regard being forced to shed actors as interference with the creative process.
Over the last four years, “Mad Men” has been a launching pad for previously little-known or unknown actors. Series’ star Jon Hamm, who plays Don Draper, the hard-drinking, womanizing ad executive, was working on a Lifetime television series, and his costar Elisabeth Moss was appearing in Excedrin commercials. And most notably, “Mad Men” transformed the network from an obscure channel filled with old movies into a major destination for original series programming.
The unexpected success of “Mad Men” naturally has translated into dramatic growth in advertising revenues for the network. According to SNL Kagan, an industry consulting business, AMC’s ad revenue in 2006, the year before “Mad Men” premiered, was $139.3 million. In 2010, the cable channel took in $245.6 million. Not all that growth can be attributed to Don Draper & Co., but it’s clear that the culturally influential show was a crucial component in the network’s rise.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate has done well by “Mad Men” too. The company takes in between $3 million and $5 million per episode from the show in fees from AMC, sales abroad and DVDs, people familiar with the show’s finances said. Lionsgate has said it expects “Mad Men” to ultimately generate more than $100 million in DVD sales. Lionsgate stands to potentially make more money when it eventually sells reruns of “Mad Men” in the U.S.
It’s unclear whether the lengthy break between seasons could hurt ratings for “Mad Men.” There are plenty of other choices. But as with HBO’s “The Sopranos,” which once went almost two years between seasons, “Mad Men” has such an intense following its audience may be willing to wait.
CBS announces 2010-11 season finale dates
From left, Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan in a scene from the April 11 "Ma Ke Kahakai"episode of "Hawaii Five-0" - CBS Photo by Mario Perez
CBS has announced the schedule for the finales of its 2010-11 season’s series.
The list of shows and finale dates, provided by CBS, is as follows:
SUNDAY, MAY 1
8 p.m. “Undercover Boss”
SUNDAY, MAY 8
7 p.m. “The Amazing Race” (two hours)
9 p.m. “CSI: Miami”
THURSDAY, MAY 12
8 p.m. “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”
FRIDAY, MAY 13
8 p.m. “CSI: NY”
9 p.m. “Blue Bloods”
SUNDAY, MAY 15
7 p.m. “Survivor: Redemption Island” (two hours)
9 p.m. “Survivor: Redemption Island Live Reunion Show”
MONDAY, MAY 16
7 p.m. “How I Met Your Mother”
7:30 p.m. “Mad Love”
8:30 p.m. “Mike & Molly”
9 p.m. “Hawaii Five-0″
TUESDAY, MAY 17
7 p.m. “NCIS”
8 p.m. “NCIS: Los Angeles”
9 p.m. “The Good Wife”
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18
8 p.m. “Criminal Minds”
THURSDAY, MAY 19
7 p.m. “The Big Bang Theory”
7:30 p.m. “Rules of Engagement”
8 p.m. “The Mentalist” (two hours)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25
9 p.m. “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior”
Julianna Margulies stars in "The Good Wife." - CBS Photo by Justin Stephens
Leon Russell to perform with Elton John on Saturday Night Live
Inductee Leon Russell performs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony March 14 in New York. - AP Photo by Evan Agostini
Oklahoma native and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Leon Russell will perform with host/musical guest Elton John on Saturday Night Live this week.
“Saturday Night Live” airs at 10:30 p.m. Saturdays on NBC.
UCO’s Centre for Global Competency and Kyle Dillingham celebrate anniversary with pre-screening of “Oklahoma, Music and the Mary Rose” documentary
University of Central Oklahoma Ambassador in Residence and violinist Kyle Dillingham - Photo provided by UCO
The University of Central Oklahoma’s Centre for Global Competency (CGC) is set to celebrate its third anniversary by hosting a series of events which will include an exclusive pre-screening of the documentary “Oklahoma, Music and the Mary Rose” at 7 p.m. March 29 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s Noble Theater.
The documentary, produced by UCO’s CGC with local director Tim Fall, will premiere at 7:30 p.m. March 31 on OETA.
“Oklahoma, Music and the Mary Rose” captures last year’s performance of “The Mary Rose,” a musical tribute commemorating the 500-year anniversary of the sinking of the legendary British warship “Mary Rose,” by Kyle Dillingham, violinist and UCO’s Ambassador in Residence, alongside the Oklahoma Community Orchestra.
Callen Clarke, an Edmond composer, wrote the tribute.
The pre-screening event includes a performance by Dillingham and Clarke of a few of Clarke’s compositions that led up to the tribute, including insight into the writing of “The Mary Rose.
The duo will be joined for a special performance with Kyle’s wife, Andrea, a junior at UCO pursuing a Bachelor’s of Music with the cello.
Admission to the documentary pre-screening is complimentary, however, reservations are limited.
To make reservations, go to http://event.pingg.com/maryrose.
For more information, call UCO’s Centre for Global Competency at (405) 974-2447 or go to www.uco.edu/cgc.
Oklahoma cowboys second after latest episode of “Amazing Race.”
After winning last week’s leg, Oklahoma cowboys Jet and Cord McCoy finished in second place in the episode of “The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business” that aired Sunday night.
CBS is airing “The Academy of Country Music Awards” next Sunday so there won’t be an episode. The series returns April 10.
Early in the episode, Jet, 31, of Tupelo, discussed the sacrifices his family was making during the competition that was taped late last year.
“My family is making as big a sacrifice as I am to be here,” he said. “My wife is staying home and taking care of the 2-year-old girl and the ranch. Same as Court. So it’s an added incentive we don’t want to go away empty-handed.”
From a tea tasting ceremony, the teams all caught the same 900-mile flight to Kolkata, India, where a bunch of cab drivers raced them to town hall for their next clue. In a humorous segment, the McCoys’ cab is shown racing past several other competitors’ cabs. “The guy has got some nerve,” Cord said.
Town hall didn’t open until 10 a.m. so the teams all camped on the street waiting for instructions to their next destination, a hall for another tea tasting. This time one team member had to find, from a table that holds hundreds of tea cups, the one that matches the tea they tasted back in China. When that happened, the teams got a battle of Snapple with the next clue on the inside of the bottle cap.
The McCoys were second after the roadblock, heading into the week’s detour with challenges of either Hindu art or Bengali literature. In Hindu art, teams had to paint and decorate a large statue of an elephant god, matching a model. In the literature challenge, the teams loaded eight stacks of books into a school bicycle cart and directed the driver to the school.
While five teams picked the art project, the McCoys, the father and daughter team of Gary and Malloy, and Zev and Justin delivered the books to the school.
The episode wrapped up with a race to the pit stop at the Fountain of Joy. Gary and Mallory finished first and won a special Indian feast with Bollywood dancers and $1 million in rupees, valued at more than $22,000 American. The McCoys were runner-up.
Margie and her deaf son Luke was eliminated for finishing in last place primarily because Luke stumbled miserably at the tea tasting challenge. “Sorry,” Luke signed to his mother. “I don’t hold him responsible for us being eliminated,” Margie said.
ABC announces 2010-11 season finale dates
Sofia Vergara and Ed O'Neill in "Modern Family" - ABC Photo by Danny Feld
ABC has provided the list below of its 2010-11 season finale dates:
Sunday, May 8:
9:01-10 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”
Wednesday, May 11:
7:30-8 p.m. “Better With You”
Sunday, May 15:
7-8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
8-10 p.m. “Desperate Housewives” (Special Two-Hour Finale)
Monday, May 16:
9:01-10 p.m. “Castle”
Tuesday, May 17:
7-8 p.m. “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution”
Thursday, May 19:
7-8 p.m. “Wipeout” (Spring Edition)
8-9:01 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
9:01-10 p.m. “Private Practice”
Friday, May 20:
7-8 p.m. “Shark Tank”
Sunday, May 22:
6-7 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
Monday, May 23:
7-8 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars” (Performance Show)
Tuesday, May 24:
8-10 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars The Results Show”
Wednesday, May 25:
7-7:30 p.m. “The Middle”
8-8:31 p.m. “Modern Family”
8:31-9:30 p.m. “Cougar Town” (Special One-Hour Finale)
Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo in "Grey's Anatomy" - ABC Photo by Danny Feld
“Fringe” renewed for fourth season
From left, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, John Noble and Jasika Nicole star in "Fringe." - Fox Photo by Smallz and Raskind
Fox has announced today it has renewed sci-fi drama “Fringe” for a fourth season.
“’Fringe’ has truly hit a creative stride and has distinguished itself as one of television’s most original programs. The series’ ingenious producers, amazingly talented cast and crew, as well as some of the most passionate and loyal fans on the planet, made this fourth-season pickup possible,” Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company, said in a news release today. “When we moved the show to Fridays, we asked the fans to follow and they did. We’re thrilled to bring it back for another full season and keep it part of the Fox family.”
“‘Fringe” co-creator and executive producer J.J. Abrams also said in the news release, “We could not be happier that the fans of ‘Fringe’ (and our most excellent partners at Fox) have allowed us to continue telling stories from the fringe for another season!”
“This early pickup comes at a perfect time as we start production on the Season Three finale,” ‘Fringe’ showrunners and executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman added in the release. “We join the cast and crew in thanking our loyal fans and Fox for allowing us to have this much fun telling stories we love.”
The synopsis of tonight’s episode “Bloodline,” provided by Fox, is as follows:
The intensity of life “over there” accelerates as a pregnant Olivia (Anna Torv) is kidnapped and finds herself in mortal danger. As the Fringe Division races against time to find her, agent Lincoln Lee (guest star Seth Gabel) receives some heartbreaking news as Walter (John Noble) stops at nothing to preserve the new branch of the Bishop family tree.
“Fringe” airs at 8 p.m. Fridays on Fox.
“CHAOS” a satisfactory diversion
From left, Freddy Rodriguez, Eric Close, James Murray and Tim Blake Nelson star in "CHAOS." - CBS Photo by Sergei Bachlakov
On his first day working for the CIA, Rick Martinez (Freddy Rodriguez) is assigned to be a mole for the Clandestine Administration and Oversight Services (CHAOS) - not exactly where he thought his career was heading – but it’s still the CIA.
He then meets fellow CHAOS members: 12-year CIA veteran Casey Malick (Tulsa native Tim Blake Nelson); psychologist-turned-CIA operative Michael Dorset (Eric Close); as well as Scottish-born Billy Collins (James Murray); and they make him an offer he can’t refuse for their first high-risk foreign intelligence mission together.
The varying personalities of the group mesh well, the actors have a good rapport, and it’s fun to find out why Malick is known as a “human weapon.”
If you’re a fan of shows that serve up a little action and comedy with their drama, you should give “CHAOS” a look.
“CHAOS” premieres at 7 p.m. April 1 on CBS.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
Role suits Dana Delany in ABC’s “Body of Proof”
Dana Delany stars as Dr. Megan Hunt in "Body of Proof" - ABC Photo by Donna Svennevik
In ABC’s new drama “Body of Proof,” Dana Delany plays Dr. Megan Hunt, a driven Philadelphia neurosurgeon who faces a new career when a car accident ends her ability to practice surgery.
The demands of her job had already contributed to a divorce from her husband, Todd Fleming (Jeffrey Nordling), and the loss of custody of her daughter, Lacey (Mary Mouser).
Hunt suffers from paresthesia, which means she has random attacks of numbness and cramping of her hands, but the condition didn’t show itself until her first operation after the accident.
She lost control of her instruments and her patient died on the operating table.
Five years later Hunt is a medical examiner and she is determined to find out who or what has killed the victims she encounters. She is also finding that their lives and the lessons they hold can be applied to her own personal journey of redemption and forgiveness.
This is an extremely well-suited role for Delany, one in which she can demonstrate intelligence, fortitude and vulnerability, and it should be particularly absorbing to watch her try to repair her relationship with her daughter.
Delany has a solid backup cast including Jeri Ryan as Hunt’s boss Dr. Kate Murphey; Nicholas Bishop as Hunt’s partner, Medical Investigator Peter Dunlop; John Carroll Lynch as Detective Bud Morris and Geoffrey Arend as Dr. Ethan Gross.
If the pilot episode is any evidence, “Body of Proof” is a fresh take on the crime-solving genre of shows.
“Body of Proof” premieres at 9 p.m. March 29 on ABC.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
