Some days are good. Some are not so good. And some bring you news that just makes it clear it wasn’t worth chewing through the straps. This is one of those days.

According to our friends at The Hollywood Reporter, Pushing Daisies – that radiant example of what American Television is truly capable of if it would only raise its perception of the audience’s IQ above the ‘Reality’ gutter – is in imminent danger of being deleted.

The show is clearly not cheap to make, but the result is high-concept, high-quality, thoroughly enjoyable hokum that must be an absolute goldmine in overseas sales. And nobody gets eliminated. But the Writers Strike killed it for almost a year, so the ratings are down. And ABC would apparently prefer to kill a rare example of creative intelligence, rather than try a new air-time and continue supporting one of the few examples of quality TV since their other ratings breakout – the Housewives.

The complete ‘Endangered Species’ list looks like this:
Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, The Ex-List, Life, Lipstick Jungle, Hole in the Wall, Terminator – Sarah Connor, Valentine, Easy Money, In Harm’s Way, Everybody Hates Chris, and The Game

Some of those shows are listed for reasons that should present no cognitive challenge at all. But ‘Daisies’ should not be among them. And did you notice an absence? Knight Rider! It has to be one of the most risible, superficial and universally-scorned creations in the last five years – yet it’s nowhere to be seen on that list.

Canceling ‘Daisies’ is simply unjust, and could set a dangerous precedent if allowed to occur. If the networks see they can kill quality shows without serious complaint from the viewers, they’ll just never make them at all. Unless ‘Daisies’ and shows of that caliber are loved and preserved, TV will decay to an unending soup of Reality, Game Shows and Soaps. And be honest, could you really stand that?

Here’s ABC’s site for the show. And here’s the largest ‘Daisies’ fan site on the web. If you like the idea of having TV to choose from that engages the mind rather than blends it to mush, get over there now and get your voice heard.

Photo by AudreyJM529

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]]> http://www.harlequinade.org/2008/10/17/wanted-flower-power/feed/ 3 http://www.harlequinade.org/2008/10/02/two-strikes-and-were-dead/ http://www.harlequinade.org/2008/10/02/two-strikes-and-were-dead/#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:14:00 +0000 thelimey http://harlequinguy.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/two-strikes-and-were-dead/

The second season of Pushing Daisies, ABC’s most visible wound from the Writers’ Strike, finally bowed last night. If you like it I hope you had a DVR handy – its sojourn on your screen may be painfully brief.

The four-month strike caused weeks of repulsive reality re-runs and left thousands of below-the-line workers in financial distress, while their employers whined to every media outlet they could find or control about losing vast swathes of revenue that were, in truth, so insignificant they barely noticed the absence.

And now it looks like we’re in for a sequel.

SAG’s fearless team of negotiating Ninjas have been grappling with the AMPTP for months, and their patience is virtually spent. Yesterday, they asked the National Board to call a vote for a strike. If 75% of the members say yes, the whole of Hollywood will shift into ‘Neutral’…Again.

A ‘Yes’ would give SAG a ponderous weapon with which to do battle. But a ‘No’ would leave their negotiating strength – and possibly their entire reputation – publicly and enduringly shredded. The Actors would have to choose from two bitter pills: Accept the current offer, or go on fighting this intransigent hydra with no real weapons and 90% of your potency gone.

The Studios can afford every dime SAG wants, and ten times more on the top. Any studio exec offered a bonus of twice the amount would be almost incandescent with rage at the insult. But they think the SAG guys should accept a risible pittance and fall to their knees in respect. I disagree.

Whatever amount the bosses concede, they can and will easily replace. Probably with more  ‘reality’ fare using non-union Actors. But SAG are not so fiscally strong. And to call a strike less than a year after one that left 1,000’s without pay and could do that again right before Christmas would hardly invoke overwhelming support.

The Actors deserve better. But so do the Audience. Win them to your cause and your inevitable victory will expose to the world the greedy, malfeasant, mendacious ingrates the AMPTP have been since George Eastman gave them a job.

The vote is slated for October 18. Keep something crossed.

Photo by Lord Jim

When you’re sixty you’re expected to be a little slow and forgetful. After fifty-nine years of unfettered practice, aided by the cream of this glorious nation’s performing community, the Emmy’s are entitled to no such concession.

Some TV critics are giving this ghastly spectacle overly-kind and upbeat reviews. I would be guilty of fraud and intellectual rape if I even considered it right to concur. The entire, skillfully-coutured charade was 15-minutes of worthwhile viewing squeezed into 3-hours of mind-crushing banality, then smothered in lip gloss and hosed with cheap perfume. All it lacked was a street lamp to lean on.

According to Neilsen, 12.2 million people watched the show – one of its lowest ratings in 15-years. And I couldn’t act surprised if you paid me! Everyone on that stage was there because the Emmys consider them the best of their kind…And that was the best they could do.

If this was their report card, they should deem themselves lucky to get more than an “F”.
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ARTICLEURL

Mr Bocho accuses the Networks of devolving into purveyors of programming he has no interest in providing. In other words, “Reality” series. He also tells Forbes that the Nets are obsessed with micromanaging every detail of a production…which comes as no surprise at all.

From the man who was largely responsible for “Hill Street Blues,” “L.A. Law,” “NYPD Blue,” and a string of other top-rated shows that earned the very same networks millions in ad revenues, this is a damming indictment of the state of America’s broadcast media. The sad part, however, is: 1) How unarguably right his view is, and 2) The total absence of anyone in a similar position with the courage to agree, or even speak out at all.

I mean, when was the last time you watched a quality program on a broadcast network?

Let’s say it: American television is about money. First, last and only. Not shows, not quality, and certainly not the audience – Just the dollars. And as Mr. Bochco has proven, it shows. They make intellectual chewing gum for an audience they believe possess the IQ of wool, crush any spark of originality or creativity out of it with obsessive over-management, then infest it with commercials to make as much cash as possible.

…Then they wonder why people don’t watch??

The Summer hiatus is over and so are the Games. The ‘Fall’ season could be the Nets’ chance to repent and refocus their priorities. What do you think — Will they recant and finally show us – the audience – some respect, or will they just go on as before?

Leave a comment and let’s take a poll…

Shares in the network – which has suffered dismal financial results recently – rose sharply when the news broke yesterday, and were boosted even further by comments made by Pier Silvio Berlusconi, the Chairman of Italian broadcaster ‘Mediaset,’ who own Endemol. He said the company are still debating whether to buy ITV, and had several other potential targets.

You’d better start praying that none of them are US-based.

Regular readers [Yes, both of you!] will know that I hate, loathe and detest ‘Reality’ television with a passion that defies measurement. The entire genre is a brainless, cold-blooded, profit-driven insult, designed solely to snare as many viewers as possible so they can be spoon-fed to the advertisers.

That being the case. the prospect of an entire television organization being owned and controlled by a group of people so intellectually myopic they actually believe ‘Reality’ programming is acceptable fare with which to burden your viewers’ collective synapses should leave any sane being garnished in ice-cold sweat.

If that idea doesn’t give you nightmares, try this: Given that a large percentage of US-television is comprised of ideas and formats that were originally British, can it really be long before the same thing happens here?

…Or considering the current output of NBC, is that already a rhetorical question?

Those in charge at AMPAS [Oscar's Dads] were reportedly “wowed” by Timberlake’s natural, funny performance hosting the ESPY Awards last month, and apparently want him to join the illustrious – though evidently less than selective – clique of Academy Awards hosts, taking the baton from 2008’s iconic MC, Mr. Jon Stewart.

Personally, I think the prospect would compel any rational person to regard the notion of taking a bath with their toaster with a degree of appeal and gravitas that might usually be considered unhealthy. But bearing in mind the source of the story was the National Enquirer I’d suggest you put that on hold…for now. It’s fair to say, though, that Justin is a competent singer, a moderate dancer and his showing at the ESPY Awards was one of which a professional comedian could be bearably proud. The first question that speculates crossing one’s mind, therefore, is ‘Could they really get him to sign?’ Well, Justin would be offered a very nice paycheck, three hours of prime-time and an audience that’s measured in billions.

…You do the math!

They’re paying an average of $500,000 each for missing the pre-agreed ratings levels. This is the first time a Network has needed to do this in years, and it’s a sad comment that it comes as little surprise to find the Net in question is NBC.

Networks usually offer free commercial runs, called ‘make-goods,’ to repay any viewer shortfalls, but NBC has no free time left as they [in common with every other Network] are cramming as many commercials as they can get on the air in order to exploit the viewers and the Season as much as possible.

CBS, ABC and Fox also are having to reimburse their advertisers by giving ad space for free. With the kind of disingenuous spin you’d expect, they’re all blaming their failure on the use of a new ratings formula, but experts disagree. It’s the strke. People are sick of all the repeats and they’re switching off. Thousands of them!

The Nets had enough new shows to last until late November, and repeats won’t really take over until mid-January – And that’s when a certain, repugnant material will make significant contact with the air conditioning. At that point the ratings and the profits will start heading downhill….Fast!

And what do the intellectual midgets in charge plan to do to reverse this hemorrhage? They’re going to play wall-to-wall Reality – what else?! A format which every member of their audience blessed with an IQ in excess of that found in a door-knob has already made it abundantly clear they can’t stand.

‘American Gladiators’ and “Celebrity Apprentice’ and upcoming debuts like ‘Knight Rider,’ are all re-makes, being dusted off to avoid creating new shows.

And this, according to the suits, is a policy that will make their ratings go up ??

If proof were even needed that the average American TV executive has the creative capacity of navel fluff, here it is. They drive the Writers onto the picket lines to avoid paying them a decent share of the infeasible profits their creativity generates, then they re-hash shows from three-decades ago to fill the resulting scheduling gaps they’re too intellectually shallow to enhance any other way.

Wouldn’t it be simpler to pay the people with talent to do their jobs? Then the ratings would recover, the Advertiser rebates won’t bankrupt them and they’d all keep their jobs.

…Or do you think that might be too complex to grasp?