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Studio 60

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trade roundup

The Emmys Didn't Totally Ignore 'Studio 60'

· While underappreciated Aaron Sorkin masterwork Studio 60 was not, as we falsely represented earlier, a nominee for the Best Drama Emmy, the show did pull in a respectable five nods, including one for Eli Wallach in the role of Blacklisted, Alzheimer's Afflicted Writer Who Tries to Steal a Photograph That Has Meaning to Him. [Variety]
· Hollywood NepotismWatch: Shari Redstone, daughter of semi-mummified Viacom overlord Sumner Redstone, may leave the board of the company over a "falling out," though her spokesperson denies she's going anywhere, "even if she has to wait another 300 years for the old man to collapse into a pile of dust in his desk chair" to finally get control of his empire. [THR]
· Ray Liotta now old enough to play Jessica Biel's father. Oh, how the years fly by! [Variety]
· A two-hours So You Think You Can Dance handily defeats ABC's talent-show block of Do People Really Do Celebrity Impressions Anymore? and Insane Asylum Show and Tell: The Search For America's Next Top Inventor. [THR]
· Emmy voters virtually ignore network abomination The CW, which earned a single nom for sound editing in Smallville. [Variety]

11:50 AM on Thu Jul 19 2007
By Mark
742 views, 2 comments

Latest by thehmsbeagle: How the fuck did Studio 60 get more than twice the nominations Friday Night Lights did? It's almost as though Emmy voters don't really watch the shows, and instead just go for names they recognize. more »

reflections

Aaron Sorkin Opens Up About The Demise Of 'Studio 60'

With the final episodes of ill-fated sociopolitical drama Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip now all ignominiously burned off by the network that renounced its onetime anointed Nielsen Messiah, showrunner Aaron Sorkin is ready to reflect upon the possible reasons that his much-hyped peak behind the scenes at a curiously humorless late night sketch comedy show failed. (In case you missed it, our recap of the series finale is here to help you get some closure.) While Sorkin is willing to admit to making "too many mistakes for it to survive," he posits that Our Obsession With Hugely Successful, Famously Troubled Man Behind The Curtain might have gotten in the way of the public's enjoyment of his characters' lively banter about the ethics of employing hostage-reclaiming mercenaries in Afghanistan or concerning potentially fatal pregnancy complications. Reports the LAT's Patrick Goldstein after a sit-down with Sorkin:

"I don't know how to emphasize this enough that I'm not disappointed or upset with anyone but myself," Sorkin says over lunch at Nate 'n Al's last week where he is repeatedly interrupted by fans wanting to share how much they enjoyed his work.
More »

10:31 AM on Tue Jul 17 2007
By Mark
5,096 views, 11 comments

Latest by Trackback: The noble Sorkin blames himself for the demise of Studio 60. [via] more »

endings

The Complete Guide To The Series Finale Of 'Studio 60'


You may not have realized it, but at just a couple of minutes before 11 p.m. last night, the final credits rolled on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, ending Aaron Sorkin's bold, ill-fated experiment in melding the light-hearted Hollywood world of late-night sketch comedy shows with the absurdly high geopolitical stakes of his Emmy-winning White House drama, The West Wing. And while a lesser showrunner recently chose to cloak the last moments of his beloved series in frustrating ambiguity, Sorkin was confident enough in his creative choices to allow a metaphorical Man in the Members Only Jacket to wander the halls of the darkened studio, bringing each storyline to a satisfying conclusion with a bullet to the back of every character's head. Because we suspect that many of you missed the series finale, we're happy to run down how each of your favorite players finished up his or her primetime existence. [Warning to the DVR users whose selfish insistence on time-shifting the show kept it from reaching its Nielsen potential: There are spoilers ahead.]

More »

4:41 PM on Fri Jun 29 2007
By Mark
12,643 views, 16 comments

Latest by Magister: @invalid-username: That's actually not a bad idea and if Sorkin were to write it, I'd definitely watch. Though his long-time producing partner, Tommy Schlamme did just try something sort of similar, so they might think it ground that they wouldn't more »

trade roundup

On Broadway, Aaron Sorkin Rekindles Tumultuous Love Affair With Television

· Aaron Sorkin returns to Broadway with The Farnsworth Invention, a play about the birth of television, the deliciously flawed storytelling medium he recently sought to redeem with a little-seen primetime serial about the life-or-death stakes involved in producing a weekly sketch comedy show. [Variety]
· Thomas Haden Church is in negotiations to join Sandra Bullock in All About Steve, a romantic comedy that should reinvigorate the moribund genre by focusing on the previously unseen pairing (we think?) of a lady who writes crosswords and a CNN cameraman. [THR]
· Michael Moore's Sicko sells out the single NY screen on which it debuted, bringing in $70,000 over the weekend. [Variety]
· The Agent Dance, Abbreviated Mid-Level Actresses We Can't Get Excited About Edition: Heroes' Hayden Panettiere signs with WMA, while Julia Stiles hooks up with ICM. [Variety, THR]
· Cartoon Network and Hasbro are co-producing a new Transformers animated series, which will reimagine the property as a "superheroes story" with robots featuring "a lot more human qualities, allowing kids to identify with the characters" they will soon mindlessly consume in an all-new toy line. [THR]

11:32 AM on Mon Jun 25 2007
By Mark
896 views, 6 comments

Latest by Sweet Panda Love: Good for you, Sorkin! Nobody gives a shit what's on Broadway. To quote the inimitable Helen Lawson from VALLEY OF THE DOLLS: They drummed you out of Hollywood, so you come crawling back to Broadway. But Broadway doesn't go for more »

short ends

Corpse Bronzing Is So Hot Right Now


· Add "corpses" to the list of fun things the Sunset Tan people will bronze, right below "grade-school girls with crazy moms." (And in an amusing side note, our tipster found this clip while searching YouTube for clips of "hot blondes" doing stuff.)
· Mayor Villaraigosa is separating from his wife. Our knee-jerk reaction to this news is the blame this photo of him posing with Paris Hilton.
·A South Park promo puts an unnamed network's "balls policy" to the test.
·Brad Whitford has made peace with Studio 60's demise. We just hope that Tom Jeter's brother gets out of Iraq alive.

5:24 PM on Fri Jun 8 2007
By Mark
4,947 views, 7 comments

Latest by Trackback: Who could ever forget the wonderful episode of E!’s Sunset Tan in which the crazy mother tries give her grade school daughter a burnt orange crisp prior to her class pictures? more »

parumph'd

Saying Goodbye To 'Studio 60'

As the TV upfronts are intended to be a weeklong celebration of possibility and hope, there is generally no place in a network's presentation to advertisers to pause briefly and remember the once-beloved projects that won't be going forward into the Fall season; accordingly, it took a reporter's uncomfortable question to get NBC president Kevin Reilly to reflect upon the legacy of the newly euthanized Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, whose uncompromising, visionary showrunner was just one year ago anointed the savior of the last-place network. Notes the TV Week upfronts blog: More »

4:29 PM on Mon May 14 2007
By Mark
8,650 views, 23 comments

Latest by Trackback: You have some cream on the corner of your face. — guy who Tony Soprano beat up. You might as well download some more Spoon. Legit sleeper candidate for 2007 announces.  It’ll be interesting to watch whoever the Republican candidate more »

upfronts

NBC Hoping Your Appetite For Its High-Quality Hits Is Insatiable

Having spent the last year riding president Kevin Reilly's "First be best, then be first" programming strategy from an embarrassing fourth place in the ratings to a more critically acclaimed, if still sparsely watched, 2006-07 TV season, NBC today officially announced its Fall schedule, with an exuberant Reilly introducing an equally exciting organizing philosophy for a new and improved slate that includes a six-episode Heroes spin-off, 30 episodes of The Office (with five super-sized installments!), and 25 of My Name is Earl. Reports Variety: More »

11:08 AM on Mon May 14 2007
By Mark
6,143 views, 33 comments

Latest by Magister: @raincoaster: The only "name" that I recall from the cast was Rena Sofer, who played the blond chick's role and the "hot" guy was some tiny dude, who might've been able to pass for cute on a wickedly slow day. Otherwise, more »

studio 60 cancellationwatch

NBC Gives You A Chance To Say A Proper Goodbye To Matt, Danny, Jordan, And Lobster Boy


NBC's website quietly brings good—nay, great, shout-Huzzah!-to-the-heavens-and-slaughter-the-fatted-calf—news to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip's legion of affluent, upscale, and long-suffering fans: The show will return to the airwaves on Thursday, May 24, presumably to burn off the remainder of its first-season episodes, just one day after the end of May sweeps and a week after the network is expected to announce a Sorkin-free Fall lineup at the upfronts. Of course, maverick NBC president Kevin Reilly could shock the world by taking the stage in NY and announcing he's giving the show another 22 episodes, explaining to a room full of disbelieving advertisers, "Come on, it's Aaron Fucking Sorkin! He made The West Wing! I know this sounds crazy now, but If you'd read his breakdown for the second season, where Matt and Danny decide to run in the presidential primary against Obama and Hillary, you'd understand. It's going to work this time, I can really feel it." More »

6:01 PM on Fri Apr 27 2007
By Mark
4,818 views, 2 comments

Latest by Xenu: What if we never wanted to say a proper hello to them to begin with? more »

studio 60

'Studio 60' Parodies Outliving Their Real-Life, Ill-Fated Inspiration


While arriving a little late to the Studio 60 parody party, Conan O'Brien's Studio 6A effort of last Friday night makes up for its lack of timeliness (especially considering the possibility we may never see another new 60 episode outside of a complete first-season DVD release) with its savvy utilization of network-quality production values—we wouldn't be surprised if the Late Night staff tricked NBC into sinking $4 million into the clip by attaching Sorkin's name—and top-tier talent, which has temporarily reinvigorated the moribund form. Spending this brief time with a generously pompadoured, appropriately self-serious Liev Schreiber and a suddenly tragic Mastubating Bear made us unexpectedly choke up, reminding us that we may never again get to spend another intentionally unfunny primetime minute with Matthew Perry and Lobster Boy. More »

12:46 PM on Tue Apr 17 2007
By Mark
172 views, Comment

30 rock

'30 Rock' Finally Vanquishes 'Studio 60'

From the very moment that NBC controversially decided to greenlight two different series (one hourlong, one a half-hour) set behind the scenes at an SNLesque sketch comedy show and named for the numbered structures (one fictional, one real) in which they were produced, the fates of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and 30 Rock (one disappointing, one vastly superior) were inextricably linked. With Studio 60 indefinitely yanked from the airwaves and creator Aaron Sorkin failing thus far to live up his billing as Peacock Messiah (or even to a lesser, personal mission as Redeemer of a Debauched Medium), the network is now placing its sketch-comedy-related hopes for eventual Nielsen salvation in 30 Rock's Tina Fey, reports Var: More »

12:53 PM on Wed Apr 4 2007
By Mark
10,598 views, 14 comments

Latest by IKnowThings: But whyatever happened to Rachel Dratch? Now that it has been renewed, can she be a cast member again? more »

nbc

'Studio 60' CancellationWatch: Sorkin And Company Quietly Playing Out The String

These have been sad days indeed for the dedicated fans of Studio 60, multiple Emmy-winner Aaron Sorkin's unflinching look into the dark soul of late night sketch comedy programming: As the still-healing scars on the underside of our forearm representing each squandered Monday night that's passed without a new installment of the series so vividly remind us, Studio was indefinitely removed from NBC's primetime schedule, a torturously undefined hiatus that has spawned irresponsible, internets-type rumors that the network has held the pillow of cancellation tightly on the face of its slumbering beloved, ending their doomed, if fitfully passionate, partnership without producing the rest of its planned first-season episodes. Not so! (the exact words follow) says THR's Ray Richmond, who's been assured that Sorkin and company are hard at work even as we speak: More »

8:51 AM on Thu Mar 29 2007
By Mark
11,144 views, 13 comments

Latest by Jonny Bronson: here's an idea, maybe no one with any money to spend on (soap) isn't fucking watching TV until 11pm on a monday... more »

trade roundup

Trade Round-Up: Ron Howard Seriously Considering Ruining 'Cache' For American Audiences

· Imagine's Brian Grazer will superproduce an utterly unneeded "American version" of the film Cache for Universal, from which partner Ron Howard will drain all nuance by "amp[ing] up the suspense and consequences" should he choose to direct it. [Variety]
· Satellite Radio Mergermania! Sirius and XM announce their intentions to combine into a single corporate entity—if the FCC approves a move that would result in the unholy pairing of Oprah Winfrey and Howard Stern on a single provider. [THR]
· In a move that should surprise only those reading the trades for the first time today after waking up from a three-year coma, Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures are going ahead with a fourth Saw movie, timed for a Halloween weekend release later this year. [Variety]
· Last night's episode of Heroes remained "scorching hot" in the 18-49 demographic; somewhat less engulfed in Nielsen's flame is Studio 60, which had its second consecutive week of record-low ratings. (We TiVo'd S60, so we're unable to make a reference to how Matt's battle with his pill-popping, hallucinated alter ego turned out. We regret being part of Sorkin's time-shifting problem.) [THR]
· Ghost Rider's total take over the three-day weekend is $51.5 million; that's the all-time Presidents Day weekend record, if you're into relatively meaningless box office statistics. [Variety]

12:18 PM on Tue Feb 20 2007
By Mark
1,434 views, 15 comments

Latest by n/a: This picture reminds me of something. There is a car dealership on the 405 near the Orange County line. I can't remember the name of it, but they have a large balloon named Willie the Whale which floats more »

studio 60

'Studio 60' CancellationWatch Renewed: Early Yanking Can't Be A Good Sign

This morning brings ominous news for Studio 60's legion of upscale, affluent, and Nielsen-confounding, TiVo-time-shifting fans: Variety reports that NBC is moving up by a week its previously announced indefinite yanking of the series following the show's worst ratings to date, handing over its juicy, post-Heroes Monday night timeslot to [pause for reflexive tightening of the sphincter] Paul Haggis' The Black Donnellys on February 26th. Says Var: More »

11:29 AM on Wed Feb 14 2007
By Mark
2,951 views, 20 comments

tina fey

Tina Fey Says Thing About Aaron Sorkin That We Are More Than Happy To Blow Out Of Proportion

In what might be the first shot fired in East Coast/West Coast Half-Hour/Hourlong Funny/Unfunny War between NBC's dueling behind-the-scenes-at-a-sketch-comedy-show primetime series, 30 Rock's Tina Fey offered this one-liner at the expense of presumed NBC Messiah Aaron Sorkin: More »

9:15 AM on Tue Feb 13 2007
By Mark
3,621 views, 26 comments

trade roundup

Trade Round-Up: Kiefer Sutherland Makes Plans For '24' Downtime

· Delays in a 24 feature script free up Kiefer Sutherland to do some non-terrorism-related work during his TV hiatus, allowing him to star in the supernatural thriller Mirrors from director Alexandre "The Hills Have Eyes" Aja. [Variety]
· OK, now we might have to start caring about Iron Man: Jeff Bridges is on board, joining Robert Downey Jr., et. al. in the cast. [THR]
· A "massive shakeup" at Discovery Networks sees the exit of a handful of top executives, but we find it impossible to care as long as the new regime promises not to fuck with Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl, the single greatest spectacle on basic cable. Whoever came up with the WaterBowlCam deserves his or her own channel to run. [Variety]
· CBS's Super Monday promotion successfully tricks viewers into thinking the Super Bowl is a two-night event, giving the network a Monday night win over strong Deal or No Deal and Heroes performances on NBC. In other ratings news, an estimated 7.2 million people watched Timothy Busfield chase around a coyote, snake, and ferret for an hour on Studio 60. [THR]
· South by Southwest reveals its film festival lineup, which will include Michael "Because I Said So" Lehmann's comedy Flakes and Judd Apatow's Knocked Up. [Variety]

11:57 AM on Tue Feb 6 2007
By Mark
579 views, 4 comments

Latest by gorillavsmarykate: fun game...this is the 2nd time Bradley Whitford has had anything to do with a ferret/weasel in a movie or TV show. Can you name the first? Hint: It's a movie. more »

trade roundup

Trade Round-Up: NBC Madness!

· NBC will hand over Aaron Sorkin's 10 p.m. Monday night Studio 60 timeslot to Paul Haggis' drama The Black Donnellys starting on March 5, hoping that the heavy-handed, fender-bender-loving double Oscar winner's new series will hang on to some of hit lead-in Heroes' viewers, but promises that S60 will return to their airwaves at an unspecified date. Also: 30 Rock's slot is being temporarily donated to the Conan O'Brien/Andy Richter midseason comedy Andy Barker, PI, but will be back on April 19th. [Variety]
· In case you haven't heard: Jeff Zucker's getting a nice little promotion over at NBCU 2.0. [Variety, THR]
· And in other NBC front-office news, NBC Entertainment president/scene-stealing The Office dayplayer Kevin Reilly is looking like a good bet to have his expiring contract renewed. (Actually, a very good bet, as the WSJ just reported [sub. req'd.] he's been given a new contract.) [Variety]
· Super Bowl XLI's ratings are "great but not spectacular." We suspect that the event's failure to reach "spectacular" levels was due to intense competition from the far more compelling Puppy Bowl III on Animal Planet. [THR]
· Apple (computers) and Apple Corps. (The Beatles) settle the legal dispute over their shared name, allowing for the possibility that Beatles songs might one day be hawked on iTunes. [Variety]

11:50 AM on Mon Feb 5 2007
By Mark
148 views, 2 comments

Latest by Moonshine Mike: Gotta go with PuppyBowl....at least they can piddle at midfield and not get called for a foul... more »

trade roundup

Trade Round-Up: KISS Finally Ready To Leverage Their Brand For Extramusical Pursuits

· Studios aren't as horny as usual to pimp their event movies during the Super Bowl, preferring to spend their ad dollars on hit primetime shows instead of the year's biggest advertising orgy. But for those who change their minds, there's plenty of available space towards the end of the broadcast, when drunken football fans are less likely to pay attention to commercials. [Variety]
· More on the announcement of Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun's BermanBraun, which will either produce multimedia content or high-end kitchen appliances: leaking news about their venture forced them to come clean about their plans a few weeks early. [THR]
· Kiss finds yet another thing upon which to slap its name, planning a Kiss 4k comic book in which the band transforms from aging, whiteface-loving entrepreneurs into "world-protecting warrior spirits." [Variety]
· For reasons we might never understand, Paul Rudd consents to co-star with Seann William Scott in a comedy for Universal. [THR]
· Var invites charges of institutional anti-Sorkinism by pointing out that Studio 60 "retained less than half of its demo lead-in" in last night's Nielsen race. [Variety]

11:41 AM on Tue Jan 30 2007
By Mark
78 views, 4 comments

Latest by Sulky Girl: I can't stop myself from watching...it's like a hate fuck. Why is the (supposedly) super-talented, christian chick speaking in a posh british accent during the unbearable Anita Pallenberg scenes? Does no one on the entire show know who she is more »

short ends

Short Ends: Jack Bauer's End-Of-The-World Face

· This is what it looks like when Kiefer Sutherland watches Valencia get nuked.
· Unsurprisingly, the paparazzi aren't respecting Lindsay Lohan's privacy during her stint in rehab.
· Ken Levine, one of the "unemployed" writers Aaron Sorkin pilloried following that now-infamous LAT piece, offers what he really thinks of Sorkin.
· These Worth1000 Photoshop contest images of a variety of male stars remade into women are the stuff of nightmares. Bad, bed-wetting ones.

7:17 PM on Mon Jan 22 2007
By Mark
476 views, 3 comments

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