Grant Bowler Cast As Richard Burton Opposite Lindsay Lohan In Lifetime Biopic

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 1:59pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, Grant Bowler, Lifetime, Lindsay Lohan, Liz & Dick
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: After an extensive search, Grant Bowler (True Blood) has been set to star opposite Lindsay Lohan in Lifetime‘s biopic Liz & Dick, playing Hollywood great Richard Burton. Lindsay Lohan Elizabeth TaylorGrant Bowler Richard BurtonThe biopic chronicles the enduring love of movie icons Taylor (Lohan) and Burton (Bowler), whose fiery romance was the most notorious, publicized and celebrated love affair of its day. The casting comes only 10 days before Liz & Dick is scheduled to begin filming — on June 4 — after the movie’s executive producer Larry A. Thompson and Lifetime had auditioned “many actors on just about any continent,” Thompson said. He noted that the hope was to try and find an actor who, like Burton, is Richard Burton Elizabeth Taylor Lifetime MovieWelsh, but New Zealander Bowler wowed them with his tape. “Grant will add gravitas to our couple and bring to life one of the greatest actors who has ever lived,” Thompson said. “Burton was a Welsh poet, a rascal, and a man’s man, who swept Elizabeth Taylor off her feet and flew her so close to the sun that they both exploded into stardust that still lights up Hollywood.”

Related: Lindsay Lohan In Talks To Play Elizabeth Taylor In Lifetime Movie READ MORE »

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UPDATE: Dish Network And Broadcasters Ask Courts To Decide Whether Ad-Zapping DVR Is Legal

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 1:51pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, Dish Network, Fox, NBC

Dish Network Hopper LawsuitUPDATE, 3:12 PM: The legal actions are flying. Dish Network filed a complaint of its own this afternoon to protect its Hopper DVR (read it here). And now NBC and CBS have joined the fray with suits against Dish, similar to the one Fox filed earlier. Dish asked the U.S. District Court in New York for a jury trial and declaratory judgement that the Auto Hop ad skipper is “in full compliance with copyright law and its re-broadcast agreements” with ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBCUniversal. “Auto Hop is a more efficient way of achieving what consumers already do with standard DVRs,” the complaint says. Dish adds that CBS, NBC and Fox had accepted ads for the Hopper before it it announced the Auto Hop feature this month. Fox Dish LawsuitAt that point they “began rejecting advertising from DISH featuring the Hopper or Auto Hop, claiming that the advertisements are contrary to their interests.” As a result, “DISH is reasonably apprehensive that it will soon be the target of litigation” while the networks’ public attacks on the DVR “create a real and immediate controversy over the proper interpretation” of its contracts with the networks.

Related: Cable Execs Warn That Dish Network’s Ad-Zapping DVR Could Lead To Higher Costs

NBC Dish LawsuitNBC took its case to the same U.S. District Court in California where Fox filed its suit. “The U.S. broadcast networks cannot provide the news, sports and entertainment programming they have historically created and offered if the revenue-generating ads are systematically blotted out on an unauthorized basis by distributors like DISH,” it says.

Activist group Public Knowledge calls the network actions to thwart Auto Hop “a frontal assault on home recording and fair use. Ordinary consumers are in its crosshairs, while Fox demands technological stagnation from innovators.” Read More »

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Dorothy Lucey’s Farewell On ‘Good Day L.A.’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 12:51pm PDTTags: Dorothy Lucey, Good Day L.A., Jillian Reynolds
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATE: Lucey is getting support from none other than Simon Cowell. “I love Good Day LA. But cannot imagine it without Dorothy,” he tweeted Thursday night. “I wish they would change their minds. I really, really like her.

PREVIOUS: Tomorrow is Dorothy Lucey‘s final day on KTTV’s Good Day … Read More »

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Pink Slips at Sesame Workshop

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 12:27pm PDTTags: Sesame Street, Sesame Workshop

EXCLUSIVE: About a dozen people were laid off today at Sesame Workshop, producers of Sesame Street. The job cuts were at the company’s main New York offices as it “shifted some resources to better align with our strategic priorities and … Read More »

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Will The Judge In The Aereo Case Tip Her Hand On Broadcasters’ Copyright Claims?

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 10:34am PDTTags: Aereo, Big Deals TV, Streaming Film and TV

Everyone interested in the potentially precedent-setting dispute between broadcasters and the fledgling Aereo streaming service will be watching what happens at the U.S. District Court in New York beginning on Wednesday. Judge Alison Nathan will hold a hearing to consider a request by broadcasters to bar Aereo from selling subscriptions while the courts determine whether it infringes on copyrights. Industry watchers are less interested in the ruling on the injunction than they are in whether Nathan provides any signals about her feelings regarding the larger argument: Is Aereo legal? The service streams local over-the-air programming to subscribers who pay $12 a month, but doesn’t pay stations a dime. Pay TV providers are privately rooting for Aereo. If it’s legal, then cable and satellite providers could introduce similar services — and tell TV stations to go to hell if they demand huge retransmission consent fees. Everyone wants an early read. RBC Capital Markets analyst David Bank says legal expects he consulted tell him that ”an Aereo victory isn’t likely, but a broadcaster victory is no slam dunk and could take years to resolve.” Broadcasters including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Univision, and PBS say Aereo steals their programming without compensation. Aereo says they already give their programming away to anyone Read More »

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It’s Official: Sean Hannity Signs New Deal With Fox News Channel

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 9:55am PDTTags: Big Deals TV, Fox News Channel, Sean Hannity
Nellie Andreeva

Sean Hannity Fox News ContractLeading Fox News anchor Sean Hannity has closed a new multi-year deal with the cable news network to continue as the host of Hannity. The pact extends his tenure at Fox News past the … Read More »

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Locations Show 2012 Finalizes Schedule; Cinedigm’s Chris McGurk To Give Keynote

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 9:46am PDTTags: AFCI Locations Trade Show, Chris McGurk, Cinedigm

LOS ANGELES (May 24, 2012) – The Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) today announced the lineup of speakers and panel sessions for the 2012 Locations Show, which includes industry leaders, filmmakers and the creative teams behind some of the most talked-about films of the last two years. More than 200 exhibitors from 40 countries are already confirmed for the show, which will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center during the opening weekend of Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival on June 15 – 16, 2012.

Read More »

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TV Land Orders Comedy Pilots Produced By Ben Silverman And Scott Stuber

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 9:00am PDTTags: Ben Silverman, Big Deals TV, Scott Stuber, TV Land
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: TV Land has given cast-contingent orders to two new comedy pilots, the single-camera I’m Not Dead Yet from Ben Silverman’s Electus and the multi-camera Brothers-In-Law, executive produced by Scott Stuber. I’m Not Dead, based on the DBS-produced Israeli format Zanzuri, marks TV Land’s first single-camera pilot. Written by Jon Sherman (Frasier), it is about a man who finds out that he has a rare heart condition that could cause him to die at any moment and  decides to finally start speaking his mind and live life to the fullest. Silverman is executive producing, with Electus’ Jimmy Fox co-executive producing.

Written and executive produced by comedy veterans Bill Martin and Mike Schiff (3rd Rock From The Sun), who will serve as showrunners, Brothers-In-Law revolves around the family dynamic between a husband and the eccentric fiancé of his wife’s twin sister, who have nothing in common but the sisters constantly force them to bond. Stuber is executive producing, with his development executive Quan Phung producing. “With these pilot orders, TV Land continues down a path to build its own library of original sitcoms that will be paired up with some of the best sitcoms ever made,” said TV Land president Larry W. Jones. “This year, we are expanding beyond the multi-camera format — which has been so successful for us — to include one single-camera project.” Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘American Idol’ Posts Lowest-Rated Finale Ever

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 8:45am PDTTags: American Idol, Ratings
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATE: American Idol was adjusted up to a 6.4 adults 18-49 rating in the finals, making the drop from last year 30%. It is still the lowest-rated Idol finale by a wide margin. Also adjusted up by a tenth in the final ratings are ABC’s Modern Family (4.1/11) and Law & Order: SVU (2.0/5), while Don’t Trust The B— was adjusted down to a 2.4/6.American Idol Ratings

PREVIOUS: Given that American Idol had been tracking 30% lower than last season, this is not a surprise, but last night’s finale from 8-10:07 PM delivered a preliminary 6.1/18 among adults 18-49. It is projected to go up to a 6.3 rating in the finals, which would still be down 32% from last season’s finale to post the veteran reality series’ lowest-rated closer ever — including the first cycle, which aired in the summer. In total viewers, Idol drew 21.5 million, according to Fox projections, also an all-time low for an Idol finale. The steep year-to-year declines follow a rise for last season’s finale, the first with Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as judges, vs. 2010. Compared with last week, Idol was up 43%. Compared with The Voice‘s Season 2 finale, Idol was higher by 43% in 18-49. Fox won Wednesday night in adults 18-49, total viewers and all other key demos. (Below is a tracker of the American Idol finales’ total viewer and 18-49 results).

Related: ‘American Idol’ Churns Out Another Winner Read More »

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Ghost Of 2004 Hovers Over L.A. Screenings As Int’l Buyers Lament Lack Of Breakouts

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 5:00am PDTTags: Arrow, Big Deals TV, LA Screenings, The Following, The Newsroom
Nellie Andreeva

LA Screenings Warner Bros TVAfter comedy stole the spotlight at the L.A. Screenings last year with breakout hits 2 Broke Girls and New Girl, dramas are returning to center stage during this week’s affair, where international buyers are gathering to sample the new crop of U.S. series. While several series are gathering buzz, there don’t seem to be big standouts at the screenings, which are still going on in Los Angeles. (at right: a photo from Warner Bros’ party Wednesday night.)  Maybe it was the recent series finales of Desperate Housewives and House fresh in his mind, but a Western European buyer spoke nostalgically of the 2004 L.A. Screenings that featured Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, House and Lost. “We haven’t had such a strong group of new shows since,” the buyer said.

Among the new shows gettings thumbs-up is Warner Bros’ superhero CW drama Arrow. “It was surprisingly good,” said Ruediger Boess, head of acquisitions for Germany’s ProSiebenSat1. “It’s darker and older than the standard CW shows, and its very well cast.” Two other dramas — HBO’s The Newsroom from Aaron Sorkin and Fox/Warner Bros’ The Following starring Kevin Bacon — have made an big impression too. The Newsroom, which screened two episodes Sunday that were introduced by Sorkin, received applause from the audience. Boess called the series, set behind the scenes at a cable news network show, “an outstanding masterpiece of television.” The issue with The Newsroom and the violent The Following, described by a buyer as “a darker Criminal Minds,” is that they can’t be shown on free TV networks, at least not before 10 PM. Read More »

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Robert Weiss Upped To Digital’s EQAL COO

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday May 24, 2012 @ 3:00am PDTTags: EQAL, Jennifer Lopez, Robert Weiss

Robert Weiss has been named EQAL’s Chief Operating Officer by company co-founders Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried. The move comes eight months after Weiss, previously CEO of media incubator Parkwood Media Ventures, joined the digital media company as Chief … Read More »

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British Stuntman Becomes First to Make Wing-Suit Landing Without Parachute

By NIKKI FINKE | Wednesday May 23, 2012 @ 8:50pm PDTTags: big stunts, Hollywood stunts, no parachute jump, stuntmen

UPDATE: Video below. Gary Connery, a 42-year-old UK stunt diver, has a résumé including Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Batman movies, and Downton Abbey. Today he’s the first man to jump out of a helicopter and plummet 2,400 feet to the ground without a … Read More »

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‘Fringe’ Sells In Off-Network Syndication To Science Channel

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 23, 2012 @ 8:34pm PDTTags: Fringe, Science Channel
Nellie Andreeva

A month after securing a 13-episode fifth and final season renewal from Fox, modestly rated sci-fi drama Fringe has been sold in off-network syndication to Discovery Communications’ Science Channel. The pact between Fringe producer/distributor Warner Bros and Science … Read More »

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‘American Idol’ Churns Out Another Winner

By NIKKI FINKE | Wednesday May 23, 2012 @ 7:13pm PDTTags: American Idol, Jessica Sanchez, Phillip Phillips

I don’t give a shit who won this 11th season’s increasingly stale and ratings-challenged American Idol because they all sound like cats being strangled and few make any impact on the music industry. But if you care, then comment here. I can tell you that host Ryan Seacrest announced a record 132 million votes in the showdown between 21-year-old bluesy guitar guy Phillip Phillips and 16-year-old teenage songbird Jessica Sanchez during tonight’s finale. At least that’s how AP describes the warblers competing for a recording contract. Do not read more if you don’t want to know who won:
Read More »

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Comedy Writer-Producer Tucker Cawley Signs Deal With Universal Television

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 23, 2012 @ 6:02pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, Tucker Cawley, Up All Night
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy-winning comedy writer-producer Tucker Cawley has signed a two-year overall deal with Universal Television. Under the pact, the Everybody Loves Raymond alum will serve as executive producer/showrunner on the studio’s NBC comedy series Up All Night, which was … Read More »

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Warner Bros TV’s Bruce Rosenblum Boasts

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Wednesday May 23, 2012 @ 5:46pm PDTTags: Barclay's, Bruce Rosenblum, Time Warner, Upfront Presentations, Warner Bros. TV

Time Warner doesn’t detail its Warner Bros Television financials — never has, probably never will. So it’s always interesting when any exec there gives some facts and figures while boasting. With a series of slides illustrating his 30-minute speech, Warner … Read More »

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Jim Parriott To Run New ABC Drama ‘Nashville’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 23, 2012 @ 5:00pm PDTTags: Jim Parriott, Nashville
Nellie Andreeva

Veteran writer-producer Jim Parriott has come on board ABC’s high-profile new drama series Nashville as executive producer/showrunner. The series, from Lionsgate TV and ABC Studios, is a family soap set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene that follows one star at her peak (Connie Britton) and one on … Read More »

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Mason Cook To Play Eddie Munster In NBC’s ‘Mockingbird Lane’ Pilot

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 23, 2012 @ 3:10pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, Mason Cook, Mockingbird Lane, NBC
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Young actor Mason Cook (Spy Kids In 4D) is set to co-star opposite Eddie Izzard and Charity Wakefield in NBC’s Munsters reboot Mockingbird Lane. The pilot, written by Bryan … Read More »

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Original Media Hires Colleen Hall As SVP Unscripted Development

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday May 23, 2012 @ 2:54pm PDTTags: Colleen Hall, Original Media

Colleen Ocean Hall, who as a TV development consultant worked for the likes of Nigel Lythgoe, ABC Media and Style network, has come aboard indie producer Original Media as SVP Unscripted Development. She also was VP Alternative Programming at Katalyst … Read More »

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