Nov 2009
TV Bulletin Board (Nov. 4) -- Walters nabs Palin; Oscar signs dynamic duo
11/04/09 11:19
By ED BARK
Grande dame Barbara Walters still has a "Big Get" interview in her. Even if Oprah Winfrey will get Sarah Palin first on the day before.
ABC announced Wednesday that Walters and the former Alaska governor/vice presidential candidate will sit down for a series of interviews tied to her upcoming book Going Rogue: An American Life.
They'll first converse on the Nov. 17th edition of Good Morning America, which also is the release date of Palin's book. Portions of the interview also will air that night on Nightline, on the Nov. 18th GMA and on the Nov. 20th 20/20, ABC says.
This will be Walters' maiden encounter with Palin, who first broke bread with ABC World News anchor Charles Gibson during the 2008 presidential campaign. That sweet smell in the distance is the inevitable Saturday Night Live parody, with Tina Fey reprising her dead-on Palin sendup. Can't wait.
***They should make for a great couple. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have been named to host the 82nd annual Academy Awards ceremony, which will arrive March 7th on ABC.
Martin soloed as host on the 73rd and 75th shows while Baldwin is a first-timer. They warmed up their act in a publicity release.
"I don't play the banjo, but I'm thrilled to be hosting the Oscars," Baldwin says.
"I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy, Alec Baldwin," Martin ripostes.
Baldwin has won two Emmys for his role as duplicitous NBC executive Jack Donaghy on the network's 30 Rock. Martin currently is touring with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers.
TV Bulletin Board (Nov. 2) -- Southland revived
11/02/09 10:14
By ED BARK
Jilted by NBC, the police drama Southland will be walking a new beat on TNT.
The drama-intense network officially announced the pickup Monday, with Southland scheduled to debut on Tuesday, Jan. 12th opposite The Jay Leno Show.
TNT first will air the seven episodes shown last season on NBC before continuing with the six hours shot for the Peacock before it reneged on an announcement to stick Southland on Friday nights. No further commitment has been made at this point, with Southland's ratings determining its future. The series is centered on the relationship between a gruff veteran cop and his rookie partner, with Michael Cudlitz and Ben McKenzie of The O.C. starring.
"This is a great win for fans of Southland and a perfect opportunity to introduce the series to new viewers," Turner Entertainment Networks president Steve Koonin said in a publicity release. "It's also another outstanding example of how TNT has established itself as the go-to place for the best dramas on television."
Under its "We Know Drama" banner, TNT has introduced original series such as The Closer, Saving Grace, Raising the Bar, Leverage and HawthoRNe. It will add the new series Men of a Certain Age on Dec. 7th, with Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula heading the cast.
Southland is the second series in recent months to be canceled by NBC and revived by a rival network. CBS currently airs new episodes of Medium on Friday nights, following Ghost Whisperer.
***Stabbed by his crazed First Lady wife in Season 6, former president Charles Logan will return to Fox's 24 in Season 8. Emmy-nominated Gregory Itzin plays Logan, who's "reluctantly" summoned by President Allison Taylor (Emmy-winning Cherry Jones) to assist with "an escalating international diplomatic crisis."
As previously posted, 24 returns on Jan. 17th with the usual two-hour season premiere. You can see the first official trailer here.