Q&A: March 6
06/03/07 12:54
Question: My husband has an inexplicable habit of watching Ch. 4's Good Day morning show, so I see it way more often than I really care to. Last Friday (March 2), something that sounded very much like an apology aired. It was something to do with the Good Day program, and Channel 4 was very, very sorry about it. That's all I caught once I started paying attention. Of course the announcement was not repeated, and there is nothing about it on the website. Can you clarify the mystery?
Joyce Harris
Answer: Sources very much in the know say it had to do with the American Idol-like contest to find the best singer of the Good Day jingle. Except that one of the contestants manipulated the online voting and Fox4 noticed a big chunk of votes going that contestant's way. So the station apologized in very general terms and ended the contest. Or as Neil Diamond might put it, "Song sung blue, everybody knows one."
Question: I'm looking for information on Showtime's Sleeper Cell. I'm a big fan of Season 1 and I'm watching Season 2. Is there going to be a Season 3?
Ken Simmons
Answer: Sorry, but there won't be, at least not on Showtime. The network has decided not to continue with the series. One of its stars, Michael Ealy, already is making a fall season pilot for ABC.
Question: On the segments when they trap sexual predators on Dateline, do they have to receive written permission to use the video images of these guys on the air? If so, why in the world would anyone who's been caught in such an embarrassing situation allow this footage to see the light of day?
Bob Denton
Answer: Unlike Fox's Cops, which sometimes blurs faces, Dateline is considered to be a news program. So releases aren't required. People oftentimes will cover their faces when TV news cameras are on the prowl, but the pukes who are exposed on Dateline initially have no idea they're on TV. It's somewhat similar to the "ambush" interviews that used to be a regular feature on 60 Minutes. Many of these people didn't want to be on camera, but if the program's cameras caught them, then too bad. There's also no privacy for the likes of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, who are pursued nearly everywhere they go.
On entertainment shows such as Cops, release forms must be signed. It can be a fine line, but there's almost no end to what people will do to be on TV.
Question: What happened to the series Thief on FX?
Jason Taylor
Answer: The network decided against continuing the Andre Braugher series after an initial six-episode order. Low ratings were the reason.
Question: What's going on with MI-5? First A&E put it an obscure time slot without advertising it. Next the network pulled it from the late Friday night slot and ran the remaining eight episodes on a Saturday, again without advertising. Is there any chance of BBC America running this amazing series?
Katherine Gotcher
Answer: A&E, which once stood for classy, high-brow programming, has downshifted to reality series such as Dog the Bounty Hunter, Growing Up Gotti and Criss Angel: Mindfreak in recent years. MI-5 apparently was too rich for its blood, and A&E has no plans to continue importing the BBC production, called Spooks across the pond. BBC America would be a great fit, but the network hasn't made any commitment yet.
Question: What happened to Big Day and The Nine?
Kkfgcb
Answer: Big Day, which was supposed to have a 13-episode run leading to the February return of Lost, instead was cut in half, with the rest of the episodes running on ABC.com. The Nine is out of production, and ABC has no current plans to resume the series. Even if it did, there'd be no overall resolution, entertainment president Stephen McPherson told TV critics at the January "press tour."
Question: I heard Studio 60 might be canceled. I love this show. Anything I can do to save it?
Amy Ichiba
Answer: Probably not. Studio 60 gave way to NBC's The Black Donnellys on Feb. 26. That show isn't doing gangbusters in the ratings either, but Studio 60's veritable all-star cast makes it a very expensive show to produce in light of its diminishing audiences. So it very much looks like exit stage left after this season, although some remaining unseen episodes might be burned off in the spring.
Question: I'm sure you've talked to numerous television news anchors and reporters in D-FW over the years. Did you get the feeling they feel they are "superior" and/or more knowledgeable than the unclean masses? Or do they just come across that way?
Larry
Answer: Some definitely are more thin-skinned and pompous than others. By and large, though, I've found them to be pretty genuine people off-camera. Anchors are more prone to "Ted Baxter syndrome" because of the enormous amount of time they spend on-camera. But many viewers put them on pedestals, too, fueling their egos at public appearances.
That said, you won't find a more down-to-earth anchor than Belo8's John McCaa. CBS11's Karen Borta likewise seems to be a genuinely nice person. And Belo8's Dale Hansen, for all of his on-air bombast, would give you the shirt off his back if you asked for it. Not that you'd want it when he's going Hawaiian.
Joyce Harris
Answer: Sources very much in the know say it had to do with the American Idol-like contest to find the best singer of the Good Day jingle. Except that one of the contestants manipulated the online voting and Fox4 noticed a big chunk of votes going that contestant's way. So the station apologized in very general terms and ended the contest. Or as Neil Diamond might put it, "Song sung blue, everybody knows one."
Question: I'm looking for information on Showtime's Sleeper Cell. I'm a big fan of Season 1 and I'm watching Season 2. Is there going to be a Season 3?
Ken Simmons
Answer: Sorry, but there won't be, at least not on Showtime. The network has decided not to continue with the series. One of its stars, Michael Ealy, already is making a fall season pilot for ABC.
Question: On the segments when they trap sexual predators on Dateline, do they have to receive written permission to use the video images of these guys on the air? If so, why in the world would anyone who's been caught in such an embarrassing situation allow this footage to see the light of day?
Bob Denton
Answer: Unlike Fox's Cops, which sometimes blurs faces, Dateline is considered to be a news program. So releases aren't required. People oftentimes will cover their faces when TV news cameras are on the prowl, but the pukes who are exposed on Dateline initially have no idea they're on TV. It's somewhat similar to the "ambush" interviews that used to be a regular feature on 60 Minutes. Many of these people didn't want to be on camera, but if the program's cameras caught them, then too bad. There's also no privacy for the likes of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, who are pursued nearly everywhere they go.
On entertainment shows such as Cops, release forms must be signed. It can be a fine line, but there's almost no end to what people will do to be on TV.
Question: What happened to the series Thief on FX?
Jason Taylor
Answer: The network decided against continuing the Andre Braugher series after an initial six-episode order. Low ratings were the reason.
Question: What's going on with MI-5? First A&E put it an obscure time slot without advertising it. Next the network pulled it from the late Friday night slot and ran the remaining eight episodes on a Saturday, again without advertising. Is there any chance of BBC America running this amazing series?
Katherine Gotcher
Answer: A&E, which once stood for classy, high-brow programming, has downshifted to reality series such as Dog the Bounty Hunter, Growing Up Gotti and Criss Angel: Mindfreak in recent years. MI-5 apparently was too rich for its blood, and A&E has no plans to continue importing the BBC production, called Spooks across the pond. BBC America would be a great fit, but the network hasn't made any commitment yet.
Question: What happened to Big Day and The Nine?
Kkfgcb
Answer: Big Day, which was supposed to have a 13-episode run leading to the February return of Lost, instead was cut in half, with the rest of the episodes running on ABC.com. The Nine is out of production, and ABC has no current plans to resume the series. Even if it did, there'd be no overall resolution, entertainment president Stephen McPherson told TV critics at the January "press tour."
Question: I heard Studio 60 might be canceled. I love this show. Anything I can do to save it?
Amy Ichiba
Answer: Probably not. Studio 60 gave way to NBC's The Black Donnellys on Feb. 26. That show isn't doing gangbusters in the ratings either, but Studio 60's veritable all-star cast makes it a very expensive show to produce in light of its diminishing audiences. So it very much looks like exit stage left after this season, although some remaining unseen episodes might be burned off in the spring.
Question: I'm sure you've talked to numerous television news anchors and reporters in D-FW over the years. Did you get the feeling they feel they are "superior" and/or more knowledgeable than the unclean masses? Or do they just come across that way?
Larry
Answer: Some definitely are more thin-skinned and pompous than others. By and large, though, I've found them to be pretty genuine people off-camera. Anchors are more prone to "Ted Baxter syndrome" because of the enormous amount of time they spend on-camera. But many viewers put them on pedestals, too, fueling their egos at public appearances.
That said, you won't find a more down-to-earth anchor than Belo8's John McCaa. CBS11's Karen Borta likewise seems to be a genuinely nice person. And Belo8's Dale Hansen, for all of his on-air bombast, would give you the shirt off his back if you asked for it. Not that you'd want it when he's going Hawaiian.