Part-two of the CSI:NY episode “Down The Rabbit Hole” about a virtual world killer concludes today with a nifty 3D Machinima segment produced by The Electric Sheep Company. (Cynopsis 4/2)
Down the Rabbit Hole Part 1
Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards show Saturday attracted a record 7.4 million viewers, a 22% spike over last year’s version. The event, hosted by actor Jack Black, also brought in children of all ages: 3.8 million in the 2-to-11 demographic watched, and 2.7 million 9- to 14-year-olds tuned in, according to Nielsen. (The Hollywood Reporter 4/1)
Jack Black and Orlando Bloom Get Slimed
On May 25, HBO will premiere “Recount,” a drama focusing on the 2000 presidential election that resulted in George W. Bush’s first presidential term. The film stars Kevin Spacey as Ron Klain, Al Gore’s former chief of staff. (World Screen News 4/1)
The CW announced the premiere date for its reality series Farmer Wants A Wife on April 30 at 9p. This U.S. version from FremantleMedia North America takes one young farmer from Missouri and introduces him to ten city slicker gals who come to his hometown to learn about farming and country life in hopes of one becoming his wife. (Cynopsis 4/2)
How to Look Good Naked with host by Carson Kressley bares all for a second season on Lifetime as the show expands to a full hour with eight new episodes starting this July. (Cynopsis 4/2, Multichannel News 4/1)
All weekend CBS College Sports Network will air additional coverage of the 2008 NCAA Division I Mens Final Four and Championship Game as a compliment to CBS Sports live game broadcasts from San Antonio. CBS College Sports Network extras begin Friday at 1p with the live Final Four Team Practices and concluding with the National Championship Pregame Show on Monday at 8p and following the game with NCAA March Madness Highlights at 12a. (Cynopsis 4/2)
SCI FI Channel’s new original 13-episode series Sanctuary begins production this month with a debut set for this fall. The series, about bizarre creatures living among us that are only seen by a few, was originally a hi-def web series. The one-hour drama uses live-action actors shot mostly against virtual sets and is produced by Stage 3 Media, in collaboration with the network. (Cynopsis 4/2)
The three months TV writers spent on the picket lines, when the production of new episodes were halted, led to steep year-to-year ratings drops for four of the five broadcast networks, according to Nielsen data for the first quarter. Not surprisingly, cable networks such as ESPN, Nick at Nite, TBS and History all posted solid gains for the first three months of the year. (USA TODAY 4/1)
The Hills on MTV
Despite the slowing economy, mergers and acquisitions in the media industry are keeping up a fairly strong pace, according to a report released by media investment bank Jordan, Edmiston Group. AOL’s $850 million acquisition of Bebo helped lift the deal value in this year’s first quarter. (Iwantmedia.com 4/2, http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/FREE/995082902/1001 4/1)
CBS will cut about 1% of its 1,200-employee news work force, the network says, amid a tough media environment. Television news operations, whose viewers tend to be older, have had less success attracting a younger audience drawn to the rapid updates of news on the Internet. ((Iwantmedia.com 4/2, http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN0131772320080402 4/1)
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has been a consistent thorn in cable’s side, and the industry has no option other than to bide its time until he is replaced, according to NCTA President Kyle McSlarrow. “It’s a given: This is what it’s going to be like while he is chairman,” McSlarrow said. “There’s nothing the industry does that’s going to be good enough. So we have to make our case to other people.” (Multichannel News 4/1)
