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TV News Roundup – December 2009 – Week 4

Showtime sets ‘Ronna and Beverly’
Network will air comedy series on Dec. 29
“Ronna and Beverly,” a project developed as a comedy series for Showtime earlier this year will get a spin on Showtime. Ronna, played by Chaffin, and Beverly, played by Denbo, are many-times-divorced, longtime friends who write a dating guide for Jewish singles, “You’ll Do a Little Better Next Time,” and are relentless about finding ways to promote their tome.

David Tennant on playing The Doctor
It just feels scary… all the time
“It did take me a few weeks to think it through,” says Tennant, 38. “But the only other option is you don’t do the job. I remember waking up one morning thinking: ‘I can’t turn this down. Even if it’s the wrong thing to do.’”

ABC orders ‘Awkward Situations for Men’

Comedy pilot stars Brit Danny Wallace

ABC has handed out an early pilot order to “Awkward Situations for Men,” a hybrid comedy starring popular British humorist/on-air personality Danny Wallace. The project, from Warner Bros. TV and Heydaycq Films, is inspired by Wallace’s upcoming book “Awkward Situations for Men” and follows him as he moves to the U.S. with his wife, only to discover that his everyday behavior clashes with American values and gets him into trouble.

‘Lost’ specials to DirecTV
Prelude to final season heads for 101 channel
On the cusp of its final season on ABC, “Lost” will get exposure on DirecTV’s 101 channel in the form of six specials airing on consecutive Saturdays beginning Dec. 26. The programs, derived from the season recap specials that originally aired on ABC, will include elements not seen before on TV such as DVD extras, behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes and music videos.

USA orders second season of ‘White Collar’
No details on the episode number, premiere date were given
USA Network’s freshman dramedy “White Collar” has been collared for a second season. The pickup was confirmed by USA though no details on the size of the order or the second season’s premiere date were provided.

‘Soul Food’ star joins Abrams’ ‘Undercovers’
Boris Kodjoe has landed the male lead in J.J. Abrams’ pilot for NBC “Undercovers.” “Undercovers,” described as a mix between “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and “The Bourne Identity,” revolves around spouses Samantha and Steven (Kodjoe) Bloom, who work together as spies.

ABC, Lilith Tour partner
Network sets multiplatform media partnership
The 2010 Lilith Tour and ABC have announced a multiplatform media partnership, a first for the Alphabet net. During the run-up to next summer’s dates and through the tour itself, femme-based tour will be strongly represented on ABC’s TV shows and online at ABC.com via the site’s ABC Music Lounge.

11 awesome season 3 spoilers from the creators of Chuck
“For two years I kind of sat on the sidelines and watched Adam Baldwin and Yvonne Strahovski, Casey and Sarah respectively, kick bad guys’ butts and was very jealous of that,” said Zachary Levi. “Not that Chuck should have been able to do it at that point. He was much better at running away or screaming like a little girl. But now that he has this new Intersect 2.0 and the abilities that come with that, he is able to kind of lend a hand in the kick-buttery, if you will.”

BBC chief fights Worldwide sell-off
Privatized company would have little value
The BBC’s director-general has warned that privatizing its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, would change the org into “an empty vessel.” Mark Thompson was responding to last week’s move by the U.K. government to include BBC Worldwide in a list of public assets that may be sold to bolster Blighty’s deeply indebted economy.

Moffat announces monster return
Interviewed by writer and journalist Matthew Sweet in tonight’s edition of Night Waves on BBC Radio 3, new Doctor Who lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat announced the return of a race of monsters to face new Doctor Matt Smith in the next series of the programme in 2010. After discussing various aspects of what it was like being in charge of Doctor Who, at the end of the interview Sweet asked Moffat if he could reveal one piece of information known to nobody outside of the production team, as a “teaser” for the next series. Moffat’s answer is given in the spoiler box below.

20th TV signs Brett Ratner
Pact is part of filmmaker’s expansion in TV
Brett Ratner is looking to increase his TV output, sealing an overall deal with 20th Century Fox TV. Besides its two-year pact at 20th, Ratner’s Rat TV shingle has signed prexy Martha Haight to a two-year term. Ratner’s TV expansion comes as the producer has lined up development at CBS, Fox, TNT and the CW. Ratner’s partnership with 20th dates to “Prison Break,” which he directed.

BBC Trust to say ‘yes’ to Canvas
VOD service is opposed by BSkyB
The keenly anticipated U.K. video-on-demand service, Project Canvas, backed by the BBC, ITV and British Telecom, is expected to be greenlit Tuesday with a launch date anticipated in the first half of next year. Rivals like satcaster BSkyB fear Canvas will give the BBC an unfair advantage in the provision of video-on-demand. BSkyB regards Canvas as the Internet equivalent of Freeview, the U.K. digital terrestrial TV platform launched by the BBC, which has proved even more popular than BSkyB.

Starz renews ‘Spartacus’ before it premieres
Action-drama’s first season debuts Jan. 22
Starz is renewing its upcoming action-drama “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” — and the series hasn’t even premiered yet. Starz called the move “a bold vote of confidence.” “We couldn’t be happier with the first season,” said Starz Entertainment EVP, Programming, Stephan Shelanski. “‘Spartacus’ delivers on all levels – action, characters, intrigue, romance and excitement. ‘Spartacus’ is the most ambitious original project we’ve ever undertaken, and speaks to the commitment to our subscribers to provide truly original programming along with our unmatched lineup of theatrical features.”

ABC doubling up ‘Scrubs,’ ‘Better Off Ted’
Move could signal beginning of end for struggling comedies
“Scrubs” and “Better Off Ted” have been struggling on Tuesday nights, and the network plans to double them up next month. ABC will air two episodes of each series on Jan. 5 and Jan. 12, and on Friday, Jan. 1, it will run a new “Scrubs” sandwiched between two “Teds.” Both shows could burn through all their remaining episodes by the end of the month, making a return next season less than likely.

Zuiker sets projects at CBS
‘CSI’ creator plans female cop drama
CSI” creator Anthony Zuiker has lined up another new project at CBS. Jax and Amber” is an actioner that centers on two female detectives — still a rarity in law enforcement on TV, “Cagney and Lacey” notwithstanding. According to the pitch, the duo harbor a unique insight into solving crimes.

But Wait, There’s More…

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

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About The Author

Scott From LA

Scott is an art director, writer and comics creator living in Los Angeles. He has been a pop culture maven from a very young age. His very first job was as a manager of a comic book store. He spent several years working in a video store, and yes, we are talking VHS tapes. A student of literature and Writing, he brings his obsessive love of comic book trivia, movie history and science fiction/fantasy writing to bear on the work he does for CoolShite.

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Article Information

  • Posted: Friday, December 25th, 2009
  • Author: Scott From LA
  • Filed Under: News,TV News
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