Thursday, July 19, 2007

2007 Emmy Nominations

The 2007 Emmy nominations were announced moments ago.  Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live all received numerous nods.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (5 nominations)
* Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
* Outstanding Cinematography ("Pilot")
* Outstanding Direction ("Pilot")
* Outstanding Guest Actor (John Goodman)
* Outstanding Guest Actor (Eli Wallach)

30 Rock (10 nominations)
* Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
* Outstanding Comedy Series
* Outstanding Direction (The Breakup)
* Outstanding Guest Actress (Elaine Stritch)
* Outstanding Lead Actor (Alec Baldwin)
* Outstanding Lead Actress (Tina Fey)
* Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
* Outstanding Sound Editing
* Outstanding Writing ("Jack-Tor")
* Outstanding Writing ("Tracy Does Conan")

Saturday Night Live (3 nominations)
* Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program (Alec Baldwin)
* Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (D*ck in a Box)
* Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video For A Series (Alec Baldwin)

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Studio 60 Gets the Ax

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip has officially been cancelled.

Go fuck yourselves, NBC.

Not once... not ONE TIME did NBC think that maybe a different timeslot would be a better fit for this show.  They gave it no chance to succeed.  Ratings went down after the premiere for whatever reason, and NBC let everyone run wild with the story, citing all kinds of reasons for the show's downfall.  It was too political, too preachy, too smart, too highbrow, too liberal, too whatever. They let every other outlet in the country make Studio 60 into a punchline.  And so what did NBC do?  They blamed it for not keeping the viewers from Heroes, pulled it from the schedule, and ultimately just let it die.  Their own show... they never came to its defense.

Trying one time slot only, and matching it with a show that for the most part has an entirely different demographic, is simply criminal. Every fucker in NBC's programming department should be shot.  And I know that sounds harsh and I'm sure you're probably thinking I'd feel horrible and would retract this post if some crazed gunman went and blew away everyone in the programming department, but I wouldn't.  I'd feel bad for their families, but then again I already feel bad for their families, being related to some of the stupidest people on the planet.

Two other shows failed in the same time slot: The Black Donnellys and that Real Wedding Crashers "reality" bullshit.  Both of which, also, were not a good match for Heroes.  Why is that the fault of the shows?  Why is it Studio 60's fault that CSI: Miami is a runaway juggernaut? 

If a network pinhead puts a show on in a timeslot and it fails there, said pinhead should be fired, and someone else should be brought in to make the multi-million dollar investment work.  Pinheads who can't even get through their heads that the show might work better elsewhere aren't fit to flip burgers.

These people get paid a lot of money to do what they do.  And yet here I sat, along with countless others who all loved the show, screaming "try a different time slot!"  But it didn't matter.  NBC made up their mind about this show long before the midseason changes took place.

This whole thing reminds me of what Fox did to Arrested Development, and something series co-star David Cross said about the network's inability to properly promote that show on the second season DVD set. You could simply interchange a few words and it would also apply to Studio 60:

"I got an idea for what you can do: why don’t you fuckin’ fire your complete marketing team, alright? Get a new one that knows how to market a show that won 12 motherfucking Emmys, Golden Globes, SAG awards, WGA awards, DGA awards, Producers’ Guild’s awards, critics’ top-ten lists… If you can’t market that kind of show and get better ratings, then maybe the problem doesn’t lie here. Maybe it lies with marketing. Good night."

Television no longer caters to the lowest of the low.  Television *is* the lowest of the low.

And don't even get me started about the cancellation of Raines, which was never even given a chance to being with...

Monday, February 19, 2007

SF Chronicle: Bye Bye Studio 60

Studio60large_1

Tim Goodman from The San Francisco Chronicle writes in his column today about the unavoidable death of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.  He eulogizes the show, running down all the complaints against it and against its creator Aaron Sorkin.

"Tonight might be the last episode of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," Aaron Sorkin's much-anticipated, then much-derided drama for NBC. The series, about the behind-the-scenes machinations of a television sketch show not unlike "Saturday Night Live," was pulled a week earlier than expected after its season-worst ratings performance. It's unlikely to be renewed for a second season. And if "Studio 60" comes back to finish its six remaining episodes, it will have everything to do with the respect accorded Sorkin and nothing to do with a last-ditch effort to save it."

I hope he's wrong, but I fear that he's not.

Continue reading "Studio 60 flop humbles the mighty Sorkin"...

Monday, January 22, 2007

Canada Asks: Can Mark McKinney Save Studio 60?

Mckinney The Toronto Star poses the question: Can Mark McKinney save a struggling show?  The show, of course, is Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which McKinney is a story editor for and now appears on as a member of the supporting cast.

Recently, series creator Aaron Sorkin again rallied against "bloggers", decrying the "enormous rise in amateurism" brought on by the blogosphere.  So what does the Toronto Star go and do?  Why, they go ask some bloggers (Canadian, natch) what they think.

"West Wing this ain't," says Alex Epstein, whose credits include Naked Josh and is the author of the book Crafty Screenwriting. "I stuck with it because of Aaron Sorkin," but in his blog he noted early on that the show "feels like it either needs to be funnier, or have higher stakes."

"The first few episodes," he says now, "were about how terribly important sketch comedy is, and the recent episodes have been about a bunch of people to whom sketch comedy is important." That's progress, he says, because "you're telling a story about a family – every good TV show is about a family."

Continue reading "Writers toss an idea around: Can Mark McKinney save a struggling show?"

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Sorkin shifts 'Studio 60' toward relationships

Studio60large_1

USA Today has an article... um, today, that when Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip returns this Monday for a seven week run, the focus will be shifting from sketch comedy to romantic comedy.

"Sorkin hopes the relationship shifts will bring more viewers to the show. But he also thinks the show is doing fine overall, and that the focus on ratings disappointment (Studio 60 averages fewer than 9 million viewers) can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. It could just be that 60 was never meant to be an Idol-sized hit."

It is also mentioned in the article that the show will run through March, and then after that its fate is entirely up in the air.

Continue reading "Sorkin shifts 'Studio 60' toward relationships"...

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Give Them the Business

Studio60_11

So how does Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip stay on the air with a disappointing 7 million viewers each week?  The characters on the show actually explained it in relation to their fictional series, but in case you missed it, TV Watch has the breakdown:

"Studio 60 attracts those high-income people who make $75,000 or $100,000 and more. Why are these viewers more valuable than the assistant manager at 7-Eleven? Because not only do they spend more on products, they don't watch much TV. That gives them a premium price tag."

Continue reading "Give Them the Business"...

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

MadTV Does Studio 60

I'm not a fan of MadTV, but on occasion they come close to making me laugh.  Recently they delivered their take on Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip with amusing results.  Note: this is not entirely safe for work.

Monday, December 11, 2006

O Holy Night to be Free Download on iTunes

Studio60christmas The December 4th episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip included Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and other New Orleans musicians performing the traditional Christmas carol O Holy Night.  The musicians are a part of Tipitina's Foundation, a non-profit group aimed help musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina and to rebuild New Orleans' music culture.

NOLA.com (the website of the New Orleans Times-Picayune) reports that since last Monday's airing, NBC and the Tipitina's Foundation were bombarded with emails, phone calls and postings to message boards requesting that the song be made available for purchase.

With such demand, and in keeping with the holiday spirit, the folks at NBC and iTunes will be making this track available for free download.  The track is not online as of this morning, but as soon as I see it posted I will let all of you know.

And don't forget that "The Christmas Show" will re-air on NBC on December 18th.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Studio 60: Good News / Bad News

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip has hit such an amazing stride lately. All of my initial complaints against this series are now gone.  Even my hatred of the character of Harriet (Sarah Paulson) has turned to the ability to just laugh at her misguided idiocy.

"The Christmas Show", which aired this past Monday, brought things full circle when Matt said to Danny "You were right you know, we do live here now," recalling what Danny had said to him in the pilot.  This was right after Danny professed his love for Jordan in one of the best mini speeches I've ever heard:

"I've been married twice before and I'm a recovering cocaine addict.  And I know that's no woman's dream of a man or of a father, nonetheless I believe I'm falling in love with you.  If you want to run I understand, but you better get a good head start because I'm coming for you Jordan.  You should go ahead and chew that sandwich."

If the show were cancelled tomorrow, I'd be sad of course, but ultimately okay with it as overall from start to finish this has been a great run of episodes.  "The Christmas Show" made a solid bookend to the pilot.

The good news is that "The Christmas Show" will be rebroadcast on December 18th, giving everyone another chance to see the best episode of the season thus far.  The bad news is that the ratings for the initial airing were down 14 percent from the season average.  Come on folks, give this show a chance.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Studio 60 Stays Put

NBC has announced it's midseason schedule, and despite the desperate need for a new time slot for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, it will remain exactly where it is now... Mondays at 10pm.

To stay primarily in originals, Studio 60 will share its 10 p.m. slot with midseason drama Black Donnellys, in a move that I'm sure won't be confusing to viewers. </sarcasm>

Continue reading "NBC tweaks three nights"...

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