Search Results for: “Nashville”

ABC’s ‘Nashville’ Undergoes Production Changes Heading Into Second Season

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday May 21, 2013 @ 3:28pm PDTTags: ABC, Nashville
Nellie Andreeva

Nashville became the only ABC freshman drama to get a renewal after spending most of the spring on the bubble. And now that Season 2 is a go, the show will undergo some changes. For now, they appear to be limited to the production/post-production areas. Line producer Loucas George, who ran the operation on the ground in Nashville, where the series is filmed, announced on Twitter shortly after the renewal 10 days ago that his contract had not been renewed. That also applies to his team, including production supervisor Don Bensko, as the new line producer is expected to bring in his/her crew.

Changes on Nashville were expected following a rocky freshman season, with the show going through growing pains and struggling with its creative direction as well as the ratings. I’ve reported accounts of tension between co-producers ABC Studios and Lionsgate and other behind-the-scene issues, including star Connie Britton being unhappy with the experience. In an editorial for The Santa Clarita News, Bensko’s wife Micaela, lamenting the decision not to pick up her husband’s option, spoke about “14-20 hour days with an unrelenting schedule due to issues beyond their control” and “a string of endless and exhausting shoot days” as “a string of delayed scripts and tripping storylines kept everyone on edge.” She also recounted an on-set accident, in which “one of our crew lost his footing while rigging for a huge arena … Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Steps It Up, ‘Idol’ Rises, ‘CSI’ Finale Down, ‘Supernatural’ Finale & ‘Nashville’ Up

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday May 16, 2013 @ 9:09am PDTTags: American Idol, Arrow, CSI, So You Think You Can Dance, TV Ratings

It was Nigel Lythgoe night on Fox on Wednesday with back-to-back competition shows produced by the former choreographer. Almost to the finish line, it was the season’s last performance night for American Idol (2.9/10). Finalists Candice Glover and Kree Harrison sang three songs each on the one-hour live show from LA’s Nokia Theatre. The most-watched show of the night with 11.57 million viewers, Idol was even with the final numbers of last week’s two-hour show but up 12% in the 8-9 PM hour. As is common with live shows, those results could be adjusted in the final numbers later today. Tonight’s finale will see a few surprises aside from declaring a winner, including performances of new tunes from judges Mariah Carey — with Randy Jackson on bass — and Keith Urban.

The second night of the two-part premiere of Season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance (2.3/6) headed to Detroit for the first time for the next round of auditions, with Season 4’s tWitch joining the judges panel, SYTYCD benefited from its Idol lead-in with a 21% jump over Tuesday’s premiere. It also saw viewership leap 39% to 7.11 million. On a night that saw the NBA Playoffs on TNT, Fox was tops in both viewers and adults 18-49 among the broadcast networks. Read More »

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2013-14 ABC Schedule

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday May 14, 2013 @ 9:03am PDT

2013-14 ABC Schedule
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8 PM – Dancing With The Stars
10 PM – Castle

TUESDAY
8 PM – MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
9 PM – THE GOLDBERGS
9:30 PM – TROPHY WIFE
10 PM – LUCKY 7

WEDNESDAY
8 PM – The Middle
8:30 PM – BACK IN THE GAME
9 PM – Modern Family
9:30 PM – SUPER FUN NIGHT
10 PM – Nashville

THURSDAY
8 PM – ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND
9 PM – Grey’s Anatomy
10 PM – Scandal

FRIDAY
8 PM – Last Man Standing
8:30 PM – The Neighbors
9 PM – Shark Tank
10 PM – 20/20

SATURDAY
8 PM – Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY
7 PM – America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 PM – Once Upon A Time
9 PM – Revenge
10 PM – BETRAYAL

Related: 2013-14 Schedule Grid & Top Face-Offs

Related: ABC New Series First Looks: Video

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ABC 2013-14 Schedule: Rebel Wilson Gets Post-‘Modern Family’ Slot, ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ On Tuesday, ‘Dancing’ Shrinks To One Night

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday May 14, 2013 @ 9:00am PDTTags: ABC, Dancing With The Stars, Super Fun Night
Nellie Andreeva

ABC is launching eight new series in the fall and taking some big swings, including a Tuesday lineup of all-new series, anchored by Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Rebel Wilson’s hot streak continues, with the rising star landing the post-Modern Family slot for her comedy Super Fun Night. ABC is looking to stem Dancing With The Stars‘ ratings decline by eliminating the Tuesday edition, with the Monday 8-10 PM show incorporating both performances and results. Dancing, as well as The Bachelor, Shark Tank and The Taste have been formally renewed for next season. Here is ABC’s fall schedule, analysis and descriptions of all 13 new series for next season, including newly picked up adventure reality series The Quest from The Amazing Race creators Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri:

Related: ABC To Air Some Dramas In Two Batches Of 12 Episodes

ABC FALL 2013-2014 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8 PM – Dancing With The Stars
10 PM – Castle

TUESDAY
8 PM – MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
9 PM – THE GOLDBERGS
9:30 PM – TROPHY WIFE
10 PM – LUCKY 7

WEDNESDAY
8 PM – The Middle
8:30 PM – BACK IN THE GAME
9 PM – Modern Family
9:30 PM – SUPER FUN NIGHT
10 PM – Nashville

THURSDAY
8 PM – ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND
9 PM – Grey’s Anatomy
10 PM – Scandal

FRIDAY
8 PM – Last Man Standing
8:30 PM – The Neighbors
9 PM – Shark Tank
10 PM – 20/20

SATURDAY
8 PM – Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY
7 PM – America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 PM – Once Upon A Time
9 PM – Revenge
10 PM – BETRAYAL

From ABC’s returning series, left off the schedule are comedy Suburgatory and reality series The Bachelor, which comes on in midseason, and The Taste.

Read More »

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UPDATE: ABC Renews ‘The Neighbors’, ‘The Middle’, ‘Last Man Standing’, Modern Family’, ‘Once Upon A Time’, ‘Revenge’, ‘Suburgatory’, ‘Scandal’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, Castle’, ‘Nashville’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Saturday May 11, 2013 @ 7:45pm PDTTags: ABC, Nashville, The Neighbors
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATE SATURDAY 7:40 PM: It’s official, the deal has closed and The Neighbors has been renewed for next season.

PREVIOUS FRIDAY PM: Two members of ABC‘s freshman class, drama Nashville and comedy The Neighbors, will make it to a second season. The deal is not quite done for the Dan Fogelman comedy The Neighbors but is expected to close. Sophomores fared better, with four, red-hot Scandal, Open Upon A Time, Revenge and Last Man Standing all getting third season renewals. They’re joined by veterans Modern Family, The Middle, Grey’s Anatomy and Castle. ABC is expected to renew unscripted staples Shark Tank, Dancing With The Stars and The Bachelor on Monday.

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ABC’s Bubble Freshmen: Who Will Make It?

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 9, 2013 @ 10:19pm PDTTags: ABC, Nashville, Primetime Pilot Panic, Scandal
Nellie Andreeva

At the networks’ upfront presentations, they usually tout their freshman successes. Last year, ABC brought out onstage the casts of breakout freshman dramas Once Upon A Time and Revenge, while CBS built its presentation around 2 Broke Girls. This year, ABC, which normally brings only 1-2 casts to the upfronts, is going with the cast of sophomore Scandal (plus veteran Modern Family, whose trip is paid for by USA as the cable network will showcase the comedy’s syndication rollout). Scandal‘s presence is completely justified as the Shonda Rhimes drama is that rare show that made the leap from an inauspicious start with a 7-episode run at the very end of last season to a bona fide success and a pop culture fixture in Year 2.

But its presence also underlines the fact that, unlike last season, ABC does not have a single breakout freshman series that has been a slam dunk for renewal. NBC has Revolution, CBS has Elementary, Fox has The Following, and the CW has Arrow — all of which received early pickups. ABC is heading into its renewal decisions tomorrow with its entire freshman class on the bubble. The one first-year show that appears most likely to get the nod is country drama Nashville. With a great pedigree, creator Callie Khouri and star Connie Britton, Nashville launched to critical praise and OK ratings. But it’s had a rocky freshman season, with the show going through growing pains and struggling with its creative direction as well as the ratings. I’ve heard accounts of tension between co-producers ABC Studios and Lionsgate and other behind-the-scene issues, including star Britton being unhappy with the experience. But in the end, most problems seem to have been resolved, and Nashville, which at one point looked unlikely to continue, now likely will be on the schedule next season. In addition to the solid response from critics (Britton is a major awards contender), Nashville draws important young viewers and also generates sizable revenue from digital music downloads. The only other freshman ABC drama that is still alive, Red Widow, is not expected to come back.

Read More »

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Sundance Institute Announces Directors & Screenwriter Fellows

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday May 9, 2013 @ 12:46pm PDTTags: Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Kathryn Bigelow, Robert Redford, Sundance Film Festival

EXCLUSIVE: Following in the footsteps of Beasts Of The Southern Wild or Fruitvale Station, the 13 projects selected today for this June’s Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs could end up as Oscar nominees or at Cannes too. The projects’ origins range from the U.S. and the U.K. to Mexico, Peru, Germany and Somalia with the filmmakers’ backgrounds in photography, advertising and documentary not to mention a couple of past BAFTA and Sundance winners. This round of Sundance fellows will work with established filmmakers such as Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow, On The Road director Walter Salles, author/screenwriter Walter Mosley, Oscar nominee Ed Harris and Sundance founder Robert Redford.  The Directors Lab runs from May 27 to June 20 at the Sundance Resort in Utah while the Screenwriters Lab goes from June 22 to June 27. (see the full list of the June 2013 Sundance Institute’s Directors and Screenwriters Labs below)
Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘The Voice’ Hits Series Low, ‘Idol’ Dips, ‘CSI’ Up, ‘Family Tools’ Down, ‘Modern Family’ Hits Season Low

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday May 9, 2013 @ 9:15am PDTTags: American Idol, CSI, Survivor, The Voice, TV Ratings

Wednesday saw The Voice (2.7/8) and American Idol (2.8/8) go head-to-head with live shows for the first time. While the NBC show bested the Fox series in their common hour, with Idol pulling in a 2.5/8, the night saw both shows hit new lows. Last night’s one-hour live The Voice had host Carson Daly announcing that technical glitches forced all online and text votes from viewers disregarded. It also saw the NBC show hit a series low with its 2.7. While up from the 1.6/5 of last Wednesday’s season-so-far recap show, last night’s show was down a hard 27% from Tuesday’s two-hour live performance show. The Voice wrapped its second week of special Wednesday shows with this season’s top 12 contestants being picked as well as performances Rod Stewart and former judge Cee Lo Green. Having the live Voice as a lead-in was good for Law & Order: SVU (1.9/5), which saw a 27% upward turn from last week for the series’ best result since January 9. Unlike Law & Order, Chicago Fire (1.8/5) was up last week, and the freshman drama repeated that this week, rising 6% from its May 1 show.

Idol was the most-watched show of the night with 10.82 million viewers over its two hours, but it hit another all-time low. The Fox show was even with last week’s fast nationals but down 3% from the final numbers of its May 1 show (2.9/9 ). On last night’s two-hour Idol, the show took its three finalists back to their hometowns and had them sing three songs each as they headed toward someone being eliminated tonight and next week’s season finale. By the nature of these live shows, expect to see ratings for both Idol and The Voice adjusted in the finale numbers later today. With that and the competition, Fox won the night in the adults 18-49 demographic and total viewers. Read More »

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Specialty B.O. Preview: ‘Kiss Of The Damned’, ‘What Maisie Knew’, ‘The Iceman’, ‘Generation Um…’, ‘Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf’s', ‘Dead Man’s Burden’, ‘Something In The Air’, ‘The Happy House’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday May 2, 2013 @ 5:20pm PDTTags: Something In The Air, Specialty Box Office, The Happy House, The Iceman

Brian Brooks is a Deadline contributor.

Specialty Box OfficeFollowing last week’s hefty rollout of new Specialty films, the coming weekend is also awash in a large number of diverse titles that will hit the limited release slate, including titles with stars, soon-to-be stars and big screen novices. Xan Cassavetes will open her drama/thriller Kiss Of The Damned via Magnolia this weekend with a cadre of French vampires. Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan and Alexander Skarsgard star in Millennium Entertainment’s What Maisie Knew. The distributor is doubling up this weekend, also bowing The Iceman with Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, Ray Liotta and David Schwimmer, while Keanu Reeves stars in Phase 4′s Generation Um… Cinedigm will open indie Western Dead Man’s Burden from newcomer Jared Moshé, starring Barlow Jacobs, Clare Bowen and David Call, while First Run Features’ The Happy House will also be looking for its niche among the weekend’s new titles. IFC Films will bow veteran French filmmaker Olivier Assayas’ latest, Something In The Air, while doc Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf’s joins the weekend’s packed lineup.

Kiss Of The Damned
Director-writer: Xan Cassavetes
Cast: Joséphine de La Baume, Milo Ventimiglia, Roxane Mesquida, Anna Mouglalis, Michael Rapaport
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures/Magnet Releasing

Xan Cassavetes initially had the idea for Kiss Of The Damned after touring a house some years ago. The home eventually became the venue for the thriller/drama which revolves around a vampire, Djuna, who resists the advances of Paolo, but soon gives into their passion. “I went through the house and the nature of its setting felt so transitory — it’s a weekend house and it’s the setting for a transitory vampire,” said Cassavetes. “I looked at the house a year and a half before writing the screenplay.” After working on other projects, Cassavetes recalled the house and wrote the screenplay for Kiss Of The Damned in only three weeks. She and her team were able to put together the financing elements from previous films. “I wanted French actors because the movie has the flavor of a beautiful European flavor,” said Cassavetes. “I also wanted relatively unknown actors because I thought it was more powerful to buy into that.” Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘American Idol’ Falls To New Low, ‘Family Tools’ Debuts Soft, ‘Survivor’ & ‘CSI’ Hit Series Lows, ‘How To Live With Your Parents’ Up

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday May 2, 2013 @ 9:05am PDTTags: American Idol, Family Tools, Survivor, The Voice, TV Ratings

The May sweep stepped it up a notch last night with American Idol (2.8/8), The Voice (1.6/5) and Survivor: Caramoan (2.3/7) going head-to-head-to-head. While not the first time Idol and The Voice have faced off directly (they overlapped on April 27, 2011), and the NBC show a season-so-far recap, it was their debut matchup this season. With Harry Connick Jr joining as guest mentor and a “you’re a superstar” shout-out to contestant Amber Holcomb from judge Nicki Minaj, Wednesday’s American Idol fell 13% from last week’s fast nationals and 15% from April 24’s final numbers to hit an all-time Wednesday low. Still, Idol still was the most watched show of the night with 11.08 million viewers, and Fox took Wednesday in the adults 18-49 demographic and total viewers with 11.075 watching on a night when usage slipped 4% in the demo.

In its first Wednesday broadcast of the sweep, The Voice: The Road To Live show was essentially a greatest clips of the show’s fourth season so far. A lead-in and perpetual tease to next week’s three nights of live shows, the one-hour episode was up 19% from the 1.3/4 that Dateline received in the same time slot April 24. With The Voice recap show as a lead-in, Law & Order: SVU (1.5/4) saw a drop of 21% from last week. Following at 10 PM, Chicago Fire (1.7/5) bopped up 6% from its last new show April 3. Read More »

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Hollywood List For WH Reporters Dinner

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Friday April 26, 2013 @ 3:40pm PDTTags: Barack Obama, Conan O'Brien, White House Correspondents' Dinner

3RD UPDATE, 3:40 PM: Psy is the only act to get 1 billion hits on YouTube with his “Gangnam Style” video, and his follow-up video “Gentleman” is already past 232M views. He has been tapped to join CBS News’ table at tomorrow’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner alongside the likes of Homeland‘s Claire Danes and her husband, Hannibal‘s Hugh Dancy.

2ND UPDATE, 8:10 AM: One day before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Fox News Channel has said who from Hollywood it is bringing to the event — and it’s a big list. While Greta Van Susteren is passing on this year’s dinner, Fox News stars Bill O’Reilly, Chris Wallace, Geraldo Rivera and Bret Baier will be in attendance, as will the likes of Oscar-winner screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and a contingent from sister studio Fox’s latest X-Men movie: director Bryan Singer and producer-writer Simon Kinberg. See who will be sitting at FNC’s 14 tables below. Also check back for more last-minute additions as we head into the final hours before Saturday’s dinner.

UPDATE, THURSDAY PM: TV comedy king Chuck Lorre will be making his first White House Correspondents’ Dinner appearance this year while waiting for series-pickup news for his hot CBS pilot Mom. Lorre, who is behind the CBS series The Big Bang Theory, Two And A Half Men and Mike & Molly, will be sitting with former Secretary of State Madeline Albright.

Related: Conan O’Brien Tweets Pic From DC

PREVIOUSLY: Hollywood is again the guest everyone seems to want at their table for this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Returning headliner Conan O’Brien is set to take up the court-jester role that Jimmy Kimmel played last year and news organizations have begun to reveal guest lists for the April 27 event. There’s a lot of Tinseltown glitter already set alongside generals and top-tier cabinet secretaries — as well as power players like Harvey Weinstein. We know President Obama and the first lady will be there; here’s who else we know is going from Hollywood so far: Read More »

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R.J. Cutler Inks First-Look Deal At Showtime, Will Produce Marlon Brando Documentary

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday April 26, 2013 @ 9:31am PDTTags: R.J. Cutler, Showtime
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of the premiere of R.J. Cutler‘s well-received documentary The World According To Dick Cheney on Showtime, the pay cable network has signed a two-year, first-look deal with the Emmy-winning filmmaker for him to produce and direct new documentaries. The first film under the pact will be a profile of legendary actor Marlon Brando, which Cutler will executive produce, along with executive producer John Battsek (Searching For Sugarman) and director Stevan Riley (Fire In Babylon).
Cutler’s documentary credits include the Oscar-nominated The War Room, Emmy-nominated A Perfect Candidate, The September Issue and Emmy-winning series American High. On the scripted side, Cutler, repped by CAA and attorney Jeanne Newman, has a first-look deal with Lionsgate TV and executive produces/directs the studio’s ABC drama series Nashville, and just directed the CBS drama pilot The Ordained. The World According To Dick Cheney examined the pivotal role Cheney played in the George W. Bush administration and in the formation of domestic and foreign policy in a post-September 11th world.

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R.I.P. George Jones

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Friday April 26, 2013 @ 10:58am EDTTags: George Jones

The country music superstar had been admitted to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center with high fever and irregular blood pressure, and died this morning, according to multiple reports. He was 81. George Jones‘ hits included “She Thinks I Still Care” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” In 2008, he was a Kennedy Center honoree, and last year received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. But the Texas-born singer was also known for his rocky personal life which included struggles with cocaine and alcohol addiction and four marriages — including one to country music icon Tammy Wynette. He earned the nickname “No Show Jones” after he failed to appear for several concerts. Many television shows including Nashville and The Wire featured Jones’ music. He also appeared in movies including The Longest Yard and Smokey And The Good Time Outlaws.

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TV Weekly Warfare: Fox Takes Demo & CBS Wins Viewers, But How Will Season End?

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Wednesday April 24, 2013 @ 6:26pm PDTTags: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, TV Ratings

With just 30 days to go in the 2012-2013 TV season and the May sweep starting tomorrow, it seems this week we need to talk about the future as much as the past. The recent past is straightforward but full of shifts: Week 30 of the current season saw CBS remain No. 1 in overall viewership for an eighth week in a row but lose the adults 18-49 top spot after four weeks to Fox. But it was a very tight lead for News Corp-owned network for the week of April 15-21, with competition breathing down its neck. By competition, let’s be specific. Last week saw NBC’s Monday and Tuesday airings of The Voice prove just how dominant it has become by easily taking the two top spots in adults 18-49 (5.2 and 4.6, respectively) and in viewership (14.448 million and 14.155 million). That closed NBC right up on Fox. With a four-week demo high for the unsteady American Idol on Wednesday, a dip for Glee, growth for Hell’s Kitchen and a strong UFC on April 20, Fox pulled a 1.9/6 in the key demo. However, with The Voice’s results plus coverage from Boston of the marathon bombing and manhunt appearing in primetime throughout the week and lots of repeats overall, NBC tied with CBS in adults 18-49. The two were just behind Fox with a 1.8/4. Third place was also a tie, with ABC and Univision garnering a 1.4/4.

Here’s where it gets a bit sticky. Ratings and sharewise, Fox actually stayed in place from the previous frame, while CBS declined from its Week 29 2.4/7, NBC inched up from its 1.7/5 and ABC did the same from its 1.3.4. The CW rose a tad to 0.4/1 from the 0.3/1 it earned the week before. ABC was second in viewership with 6.62 million compared to CBS’ 8.26 million. Fox was third with 5.61 million and NBC was fourth with 5.56 million. Year-over-year, ABC’s demo rating was down 26% and its viewership down 14%. The CW fell 20% in the demo and 8% in its total audience. Compared with the same frame during the 2011-2012 season, Fox slid 14% in 18-49 and 19% in viewership. CBS stayed the same in the demo and was up 1% in viewership. NBC also went up, by 13% in adults 18-49 and 7% in viewership.

Related: ‘Big Bang Theory’ Repeat Beats ‘Idol’ Head-To-Head In Viewers For First Time

But things are about to get interesting. Read More »

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SAG-AFTRA OKs Staff Layoffs & Office Closures

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday April 21, 2013 @ 6:39pm PDTTags: SAG AFTRA

The SAG-AFTRA National Board also today approved the layoff of 60 staffers beginning in May as the organization shutters 10 of its 25 offices. This reduction of its geographical footprint is surprising, considering that current SAG leadership came to power campaigning on a platform of spreading power outside Hollywood:

In other action, the board approved a fiscal year 2014 budget that will lead to a strategic restructuring of the union’s operations. The plan corrects a roughly $6 million structural deficit between revenue and expenses relating to pre-merger legacy costs of the prior organizations.

The restructuring process calls for the consolidation and closure of 10 of the union’s 25 offices nationwide, and will reduce staff by about 60 positions across the country. The staff reductions will begin in early May.

The moves are designed to position the union for strength and growth in major media markets and emerging production areas, and to ensure that institutional resources are focused on core operational functions and improved member services.

“This weekend, our leadership made several critical decisions confirming a strategic path that refocuses this organization on core principles. We have addressed a structural deficit that relates to legacy costs and positions the union for long-term health and power. These moves ensure that we can adapt to the evolving industries in which our members earn a living, and are better able to protect them wherever they work around the world,” White said.

Howard said: “Restructuring

… Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘American Idol’ Continues To Rise, ‘Suburgatory’ Finale Slips, ‘Dateline’ & ‘Survivor’ Even With Last Week

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday April 18, 2013 @ 9:07am PDTTags: American Idol, Suburgatory, Survivor, TV Ratings

Did you know that a woman hasn’t won American Idol (3.3/9) in six years? That will not be the case this year with the five remaining finalists all female. Which is why it was Ladies Night on Idol on Wednesday. What that actually meant for the live two-hour show was that Angie Miller, Janelle Arthur, Candice Glover, Kree Harrison and Amber Holcomb sang songs from the 1989 to 1994 years of their respective births.  It also meant there was some more tension between female judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey with the former disagreeing with the latter’s assessment of one contestant with a “simmer down, sir.” Last night’s Idol was also up from last week. It rose 3% from the fast nationals of its April 11 show and, because there was no change last week, the same from that broadcast’s final numbers. This is the fourth broadcast in a row that Idol has seen consecutive growth. Hitting 12.4 millon viewers on Wednesday, Idol was also up 2% in overall viewers from last week’s final numbers. With the 8 PM to 10 PM Idol, Fox took top spot for the night in total viewers and among Adults 18-49.
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Specialty Box Office: ‘Place Beyond The Pines’ Shines, ‘To The Wonder’, ‘Disconnect’ Open Soft

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday April 14, 2013 @ 10:53am PDTTags: Disconnect, Specialty Box Office, The Place Beyond The Pines, To The Wonder

Brian Brooks is a Deadline contributor.

Indie FilmsThis weekend’s specialty newcomers performed blasé at best and that’s despite the debut of a new film by a director who is all but a patron saint to the cineaste crowd. Topping the report Sunday morning is LD Entertainment’s Disconnect. Starring Jason Bateman and Hope Davis, the Santa Barbara Int’l Film Festival opener averaged $8,240 from 15 runs, pulling ahead of Terrence Malick and Ben Affleck’s debut, To The Wonder, which averaged $7,647 in 17 theaters. Sundance Selects opened Ken Loach’s Cannes 2012 title The Angels’ Share in 3 theaters, averaging $7K, while Oscilloscope’s It’s A Disaster also opened in a trio of locations, averaging $5,667. But the real good news came from Focus Features’ The Place Beyond The Pines. The Derek Cianfrance-directed feature showed off its box office prowess, averaging a solid $8K in over 500 theaters.

Word on the street was that To The Wonder was Malick’s “most accessible” film, but the film failed to measure up to his comparatively less user friendly previous film Tree Of Life. That film, which opened in 2011 in 4 theaters, averaged a cool $93,230 though it went on to cume $13.3 million. Hopefully the film will show some legs going forward. “I think it’s better outside a festival context and works better on its own,” said Magnolia’s Matt Cowal. “It’s sparking an incredible dialog. You can’t expect it to be liked by everyone. Some hate it, some adore it. And that’s expected in a work of art – it’s fascinating.” iTunes had some good news for To The Wonder this weekend. It topped its Independent charts all weekend. Magnolia will open the film in nearly every major market over the next two weeks.
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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘How To Live With Your Parents’ & ‘Modern Family’ Down, ‘American Idol’ Up Slightly, ‘Survivor’ Ties Low

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday April 11, 2013 @ 9:04am PDTTags: American Idol, How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life), Survivor, TV Ratings

Last night’s American Idol (3.2/9) had the Final 6 contestants doing double duty with a Burt Bacharach and Hal David tune and one they wished they’d written themselves. The two-hour live show saw finalist Candice Glover perform a stunning version of the Cure’s Lovesong, and it saw Lazaro Arbos … well, he didn’t have such a good night. Idol itself on the other hand did have a better night than last Wednesday, when it hit a new low in fast nationals. Last night saw the show up 7% versus April 3’s fast national and up 3% against last week’s 3.1/9 final numbers. We might see that go up even more as Idol is commonly adjusted upward in final numbers. Idol pulled in an audience of 11.98 million last night, a 4% gain, to become Wednesday’s most-watched show. CBS’ Criminal Minds was second with 11.29 million viewers. Fox won the night in total viewers and the adults 18-49 demo. Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘American Idol’ Hits New Low, ‘How To Live With Your Parents’ Debuts Solid, ‘Modern Family’ & ‘Dateline’ Up, ‘Survivor’ Matches Low

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday April 4, 2013 @ 9:08am PDTTags: American Idol, How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life), Modern Family, Survivor, TV Ratings

It was an all-new night on the networks on Wednesday — no repeats at all. On Fox’s American Idol (3.0/9), it was Rock Night with the remaining finalists belting out Rolling Stones, Queen and Bon Jovi songs among others. Coming off last week’s all-time Wednesday low, the live two-hour show again hit a new Wednesday low in the adults 18-49 demographic. However, as Idol tends to see upward movement in its final numbers, the low might not hold. Last night’s Idol dipped 3% from last week’s fast nationals result and 6% from the final numbers. With 11.48 million watching, Idol also dipped to its smallest Wednesday audience since August 7, 2002, during its first season. Fox still won the night in total viewers and the demo.

ABC aired the series premiere of How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life) (2.9/7) in Suburgatory’s old 9:30 PM slot. With ABC slipping a minute of lead-in Modern Family (4.1/11) into the slot, the new sitcom about a divorced Mom who moves back home was even with the last year’s April 11 debut of the now-cancelled Don’t Trust The B— In Apt 23. It was also up from the season average Suburgatory saw in the slot, resulting in the network’s best performance in the time slot since November 7. Read More »

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