In the Trades Today

Star Wars: The TV Series

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Variety reports that the future of STAR WARS is in television. George Lucas is mounting two series…one animated and one live-action… that will continue the franchise.

The first is an 3-D animated half-hour that expands on the "Clone Wars"
miniseries of which Lucasfilm has done two cycles for Cartoon Network.

Series could take advantage of the new CGI animation facility company is
building in Singapore. News also jibes with recent buzz in the toon
biz
that has had Lucasfilm talking to high-profile talent, including "Aeon Flux"
creator Peter Chung, who is known to have consulted on a TV project for the
studio.

Lucas also revealed that the company is working on a spinoff live-action
series that would focus on some supporting characters who’ve been introduced in
the movies.

"We’re probably not going to start that for about a year," he said. "Like on
‘The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,’ we want to write all the stories for the
entire first season all at once. I’m going to get it started and hire the
showrunners and all of that, then I’ll probably step away."

Both skeins would be set in the years between the end of "Revenge of the
Sith" and the beginning of the original "Star Wars," aka "Episode IV — A New
Hope."

Pax Goes Info

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Variety reports that PAX is giving up on original programming and going back to being an infomercial network. This news is sure to rile up the fans of one of the worst-titled shows in TV history: SUE THOMAS: F.B.EYE, the adventures of a deaf FBI agent who reads lips and her hearing-ear wonderdog Levi.

03fb_eye1300The show was shot in Toronto and our casting director on MISSING was always touting actors who  delivered " powerful" or "unforgettable"  performances on SUE THOMAS: F.B.EYE like it was the pinnacle of Canadian drama.  The scary thing is, it probably was.

(Click on the photo for a larger image…and then ask yourself: Why does an FBI dog need a photo ID? Could you really tell the difference between the face of one Golden Retriever and another? And if the pooch needs a photo ID, why doesn’t she?).

Remember HUNTER?

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It’s not often you see a review of a 15-year-old rerun airing in syndication…but this week, Entertainment Weekly spotlights an episode of HUNTER written by my buddy Morgan Gendel.

This 1990 Hunter ep is titled "Unfinished Business" but I call it "the one where
Hunter and McCall have all the sex." After six years of stake-outs, innuendo,
and lingering looks over dead bodies, Rick and Dee Dee finally get it on in a
series of positively Bergman-esque flashbacks– and a shiveringly unresolved
ending. Mulder and Scully got nothin’ on this heat. Truly, the crap cop show’s
finest hour. Episode: A. Series: C+. TVLand, March 25th at 1 pm.

I’m sure it was the best episode. Morgan has a knack for writing the episode everybody remembers…no matter what series he’s on.  For instance, his STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION episode "The Inner Light" was an instant classic, a Hugo-award winning script that every other STAR TREK series felt duty-bound to ripoff at least once, and sometimes twice (most recently on the ENTERPRISE episode "Twilight").

Big Deals For TV Scribes

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Lots of good news for TV writer/producers today…

Former LAW & ORDER producer Barry Schindel has signed a multi-year pact with Paramount that includes taking over as the showrunner on NUMBERS.

THE SHIELD creator/producer Shawn Ryan has signed a three-year deal with Fox that will net him "the high seven figures."

Production is about to begin on "Locked and Loaded," the feature starring 50 Cent that was written by my buddy Terence Winter and directed by Jim Sheridan.  Terry wrote some of the best-loved, and most honored, episodes of THE SOPRANOS…proving that having THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FLIPPER on your resume isn’t necessarily a career-killer… which is a big relief for yours-truly.

And Ben Affleck is in talks to play actor George Reeves in "Truth Justice and the American Way," a movie written as a spec by my buddy Paul Bernbaum (who once owned the original Superman suit and displayed it in a glass case in his living room).  Adrien Brody and Diane Lane also star. Paul and I worked together on LIKELY SUSPECTS and MARTIAL LAW… proving that having those two shows in your past won’t stop you from enjoying success in feature films… which is also a big relief to yours truly.

A VARIETY of Press Releases

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On the back of today’s issue of Variety, the industry trade publication, was a big advertisement for "Variety Vision," a new "video streaming environment" that offers you video interviews with Variety staffers.

Tune in to watch our top editors argue, cajole and spin about current issues affecting the business of entertainment. No login or password required. It’s free.

Of course it’s free.  And it’s still too expensive. Why the hell would anyone possible care what Variety "reporters" have to say about anything? For one thing, they rarely report at all. I can’t remember the last time they engaged in anything remotely approaching actual journalism…

Let’s take a look at today’s issue, for example, shall we? I’ll put an asterisk next to anything that involved doing more than reworking a publicity packet.

On the front page:

CRIME ON THE RISE AT NEW LINE – A rewrite of a press release about some new films. No reporting involved (N.R.I.)
U’S HANDED THE KEYS TO KINGDOM – A rewrite of a press release about rights acquired to a book. (N.R.I)
COL TAPS TWO FOR NY HOME – A rewrite of announcement about new employees hired.
* A ONE MAN BRAND – An article about all the projects Jon Steward has going,prompted by a press release about his new deal at Comedy Central.  This could generously be called an oveview  of the subject.

Page 2:

* ARMY ARCHERD: JUST FOR VARIETY –  Army works the phones for his usual column about social happenings in Hollywood. Yes, this is reporting. No substance to it, but you can’t argue that he did more than rewrite press releases.

* CONTSTANTINE EMPORER OF ASIA – List of foreign box office tallies for movies.  I’ll be kind, and call this reporting…though it barely qualifies (since there is no analysis, simply restating figures supplied by services).
HARRIS SCORES LEAD IN INDIE BETHOVEN – Rewrite of press release (NRI)

Page 3
LOTS OF REAL DEALS – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
HITCH FINDS HOME ON TURNER NET – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
MCDERMOTT WEIGHT IN WITH CBS DRAMA – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
SMOKE RISES AT GOLD CIRCLE – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
JOEY HUGE FOR UK’S FIVE – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
* GALLERY BID FOR VID RIVAL OK WITH FTC – Minimal reporting, but still qualifies as news article.

Page 4
DINKLAGE CAUGHT UP IN AFFAIR – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
MTV ENROLLING IN PREP -Rewrite of press release (NRI)
AMC BOOKING SUITE FOR INTERVIEWS – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
INFINITY UPS BARNET -Rewrite of press release (NRI)
AMY PRESIDES AT HALLMARK – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
* RATINGS OUT OF TUNE – Overview of Grammy ratings. Minimal reporting, but still qualifies as news article.

Page 6
BOX OFFICE WRAP UP CHART

Page 7
* BOMBER TALE IGNITES BERLINALE COMPETISH – Review of film competition. News article.
SHOCHIKU SHARPENS ITS BLADE FOR INTL SALES – Rewrite of press releases (NRI)
* STUDIO DRAW SUITOR – Rewrite of press release but with some analysis, so I will be generous and call it news
KINGS RULE FRENCH CRITICS -Rewrite of press release (NRI)
GUILD GETS GIG AT MTV EUROPE – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
BEEB CHIEF SEGUES TO INDIE – Rewrite of press release (NRI)

Page 9-10
Concert Reviews

Page 11
SHARK HAS DVD BITE – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
CONTINUATIONS OF OTHER ARTICLES

Page 16
MIFED TAKES ITS FINAL BOW – Rewrite of press release (NRI)

Page 18
OBITS
CONTINUATIONS OF OTHER ARTICLES

Page 19
ATARI GAME FOR MATRIX REDUX – Rewrite of press release (NRI)
CONTINUATIONS OF OTHER ARTICLES

Page 20
* GRAMMY GROOVES – Party reporting and photos.

So, let’s see, out of 30 articles, only 8 had any reporting. Of those 8, six were based on press statements or releases.  The only stories generated by the reporters on their own initiative and "investigation" were two gossip columns. And they call this reporting.  Maybe it’s because I come from a family of reporters, but my criteria for reporting involves finding the news yourself,  making calls, doing research, interviewing people, digging below the surface to generate stories about something more than what’s spoonfed to you.

I guess that’s old-fashioned. Only Army Archerd seems to be doing anything remotely like that at Variety these days. Of course this is the same publication that

a) promises powerful execs they will go soft on them in articles and make sure they come off in a positive light.
b) whine about how wronged they feel when the press releases they blithely base articles on turn out to contain lies.
c) has a publisher who vets stories with studio chiefs and fires critics who are too critical of films by studios that advertise in Variety.

Variety Vision. Unbelieveable. What could these "reporters" possibly have to say about anything? Unless, of course, they have a press release to read…

The Trek is Over for Enterprise

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Variety and Aintitcoolnews are reporting that UPN is firing photon torpedoes at ENTERPRISE, the least successful "Trek" series since the original in the 1960s (even the snoozefest VOYAGER inexplicably managed to make it for seven seasons). The show will end May 13.

"Star Trek has been an important part of UPN’s history, and Enterprise has carried on the tradition of its
predecessors with great distinction,"  said Dawn Ostroff, President, Entertainment, UPN. "We’d like to thank Rick Berman, Brannon Braga and an incredibly talented cast for creating an engaging, new dimension to the Star Trek universe on UPN, and we look forward to working with them, and our partners at Paramount Network Television, on a send-off that salutes its contributions to The Network and satisfies its loyal viewers."

All 14 of them.  Variety notes that not only have the ratings of ENTERPRISE plummeted since its premiere, this season it has been regularly thrashed in its Friday timeslot by episodes of  STARGATE SG-1, now in its 9th season (or is 10th?) on Scifi Channel.  STARGATE now holds the distinction of being the longest-running science fiction show in TV history…and ENTERPRISE holds the distinction of being "That  Star Trek show with the bad song and the hot Vulcan chick."

TV Stars Nab Oscars Noms

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Who could  ever have imagined that Thomas Haden Church would be nominated for an Academy Award… a man whose last major film role was in "George of the Jungle II?"

In his LA Times interview, Church says:

Though he definitely considers "Sideways" a career comeback [Note: That’s an understatement], Church is getting a
little tired of the mythology that seems to have grown up around his casting —
that he was as big a has-been as his character [Note:  He was].

"I’m very flattered by
all the attention," he says, "but there is this tone among some journalists that
Alexander had to pry the lid from my coffin. It wasn’t quite like that. I hadn’t
done anything high-profile in a few years, but … I had 11 years starring in
television."

Church came to the public’s attention in 1990 as oblivious
Lowell Mather during the five-year run of "Wings." Then he starred for two years
with Debra Messing in "Ned and Stacey." His switch to film could be described as
"challenging." He worked steadily — starring as Jane’s sleazy fiancé in "George
of the Jungle" and its sequel — but often in films that never found a
distributor.

Crystal Bernard should start shopping for an Oscar dress… it could be her turn in a few years. Joking and astonishment aside,  Church was truly wonderful in "Sideways" and I’m glad to see him getting the nomination…

Actually, the entire Best Supporting Actor category was filled with TV Actors … Alan Alda (M*A*S*H), Jamie Foxx ("Roc," "The Jamie Foxx Show," etc.), Clive Owen ("Second Sight," "Sharman,"  "Chancer") and Morgan Freeman ("The Electric Company").

Granted, Morgan Freeman is stretching it… he has been a movie star for many years now but still, it’s pretty incredible how many of those actors spent years in the series television grind. 

This Oscar nom could do for Church what it did for James Cromwell and Martin Landau, two other actors who were slogging around in TV before their surprise nominations. Cromwell’s immediate credits before  "Babe" included guest-shots on "Matlock" and "Diagnosis Murder" and a short run as a regular on "The Last Precinct." Martin Landau joined "Tucker" after his Emmy-ignored performances in "Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island" and "Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman." After that, Cromwell and Landau because movie stars… it would have been inconceivable to imagine Landau starring in a Woody Allen film before "Tucker" revived his career.

On a different topic, I was disappointed by the Best Original Score nominations… do we really need to nominate John Williams again…and for the third rehash of a score (Harry Potter) that he’s been nominated for (and perhaps won, I can’t recall) before? I would like to have seen Edward Shearmur’s wonderful "Sky Captain" score nominated… along with Michael Giacchino’s wildly inventive and invigorating "Incredibles" score (which may have been snubbed because it emulated so many of John Barry’s Bond cues).

Dollars and Cents

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Publisher’s Lunch,  email digest version of Publisher’s Marketplace,  today defined the terms they use to describe book deals in their reporting…

"nice deal" $1 – $49,000
"very nice deal" $50,000 – $99,000
"good deal"
$100,000 – $250,000
"significant deal" $251,000 – $499,000
"major deal"
$500,000 and up

What universe are they living in where $100,000-$250,000 is simply "a good deal" and $250,000-$499,000 is  "significant?"

Battlestar Galactica

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BattlestargalacticaThe new SciFi Channel revival of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA won rave reviews today from the Los Angeles Times and Brian Lowry at Variety.

Those who don’t frequent Internet chat rooms have missed much of the
off-screen drama surrounding "Galactica’s" voyage, with plenty of overheated
bleating from fans of the original that has gone a long way toward giving sci-fi
nerds a bad name. Fortunately, producers of the new show have mostly tuned out
the static and stuck to their guns, crafting a very adult series whose principle
shortcoming is being almost unrelentingly grim — though not inappropriately so,
given the subject matter.

Lowry says the producers aren’t entirely tuning out the whining from the fans of the original series.

The producers have thrown a bone to die-hard fans by casting Richard Hatch —
Apollo in the earlier version, who has spent years lobbying to revive the
franchise — in the third episode. Hatch plays a political prisoner who leads a
rebellion against the fleet, which is doubtless a small inside joke.

I’m sure the producers are expecting calls from Herbert Jefferson, Laurette Spang and all the other Galactica has-beens in the morning.

Good News for Screenwriters Over Forty

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Variety reports that Alvin Sargent, 74, has made a "seven figure deal" to write the screenplays for  SPIDERMAN 3 and SPIDERMAN 4.

The deal caps a spectacular second wind for Sargent, a two-time Oscar winner
who will turn 74 in April and has shown that well-honed character development
skills can make a veteran writer more valuable than the twentysomething
comicbook geeks who usually get these jobs.

Sargent, who began his writing career on television shows like "Route 66,"
won his Oscars for "Ordinary People" and "Julia" and was Oscar-nommed for "Paper
Moon." He is widely credited with whipping a problematic "Spider-Man 2" script
into shape, but he has evolved into the voice of the franchise, in much the same
way his peer Robert Towne has on the "Mission: Impossible" series.

Sargent got sole screen credit on the sequel but also did uncredited rewrite
work on the first film, which was penned by David Koepp.