Criss Angel survives Clearwater implosion; His show - not so lucky

Gothed out magician Criss Angel shares one thing with fellow youngblood prestidigitator David Blaine:

He's not just about the trick. He's about the foreplay.

And Wednesday night's live broadcast of Angels' escape from an imploding Clearwater resort hotel was no exception. The trick itself took seconds and was disturbingly anti-climactic; cameras showed Angel struggling to get a door inside the building open, the explosions dismantling the building went off, and seconds later, the magician was stumbling across the ground in front of the building, miraculously yards away from the newly made pile of rubble.

Of course, we knew Angel would survive the implosion; the big question, was how would his escape surprise TV viewers and the 15,000 faithful who crowded onto Clearwater Beach to watch the trick in person? The giveaway here was the even tone of announcer Tim Vincent, even when the helicopter which was supposed to spirit Angel away had to leave the building with 30 seconds before detonation without the magician on board.

(My guess -- the video images showing him inside the building were delayed or fake, hiding how he actually escaped from the building. But what do i know?)

Most of A&E's bloated broadcast Wednesday featured Angel performing smaller feats of wonder, like a scruffy roadie for Motley Crue who decided to whip out some tricks for the fans. In one, he turned a car into six hot chicks -- a creepy metaphor for the odd blend of Las Vegas-style showmanship and biker bar attitude he brings to many of his illusions.

The program also doubled as a tribute to and commercial for Angel himself. Viewers got to hear from the backers of his Las Vegas show -- why is every big performer in that town now the recipient of a $100-million deal? -- who were understandably appalled at the implosion trick. Nevermind the acres of free publicity it's developing for his Vegas show -- what if Angel twists an ankle during the trick?

Angel also received a tricked-out car during the show, which is a ritual I've seen before on his Mindfreak series. Indeed, the real trick here may be Angel's talent for getting custom car and motorcycle shops to hand him exquisitely detailed vehicles in exchange for brief appearances on his show and the honor of starring in one of his illusions.

In today's post-modern media universe, we expect magicians to pull off their tricks -- you judge them, instead, by the foreplay. And in this case, Criss Angel brought his A game to Clearwater, filling an hour's worth of TV time with a dramatic escape which took seconds to actually implement.

TCA flashback: The five weirdest things I witnessed during the TV Critics press tour

I'm still driving back to the Sunshine State from Chicago as I write this, so I'm a little short on new material. instead, let me present you with a flashback to my time at the TV Critic's press tour in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago:

Five most oddball things I witnessed during the TV critics press tour:

1) Rapper Coolio swearing to me that one of the ladies from Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Atlanta was “on his jock.” Whatever that means.

2) Damian Lewis, the British actor who stars in NBC’s Life, speaking almost exclusively in his character’s American accent because “speaking to Americans, my British accent sounds fake.”

3) Howie Mandel, the host of NBC’s Deal or No Deal and a renowned germophobe, insisting on simply bumping fists when meeting journalists.

4) Jay Leno, disguised in a bald cap and fake moustache, taking the microphone to grill NBC executives during a press session.

5) Hearing Wipeout host John Henson joke about hitting on co-host Jill Wagner so much, you wondered if he was really joking.

New study: Prime time cable news shows are much too white

  I noted some time ago that the three big cable TV news channels featuring the most election coverage were also woefully lacking in diversity -- featuring prime time lineups hosted almost entirely by middle-aged white guys.

Now the liberal media watchdog group Media Matters has issued a study noting that the racial imbalance extends to the guests, tabulating more than 1,700 appearances by guests on 12 prime time cable news shows in May. According to their calculations, 67 percent of the guests on these shows were men, while 84 percent of the guests were white.

Though Fox News, the recipient of a Thumbs Down award from the National Association of Black Journalists last week, was considered the whitest network at 88 percent white guests, CNN and MSNBC came close with 83 percent white guests in May.

Curiously, the racial imbalance doesn't seem to come from a lack of black people. According to the study, black guests appear in numbers close to their 12 percent share of the population. But Latinos and Asian Americans are horribly under-utilized, with Native Americans, literally, nowhere to be seen.

Also of note: Media Matters contends that MSNBC's answer to Fox News-style conservatism, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, ranked among the most male and most white cable TV news shows, with 84 percent male guests and 91 percent white guests. Liberals who have turned to Olbermann as their hope for challenging conservative domination of cable TV news may find these totals troubling, and a signal that opposing the GOP doesn't automatically put you on the right side of every issue important to liberal people.

What this means, is that the primary platforms for continuous news coverage in our country continue to be dominated by white males. Which means the issues discussed, perspectives presented, information delivered and soluitions considered may be coming from a seriously selective demographic.

Here's hoping the cable TV news channels take a hint and work harder to add a wider range of voices to their signature shows.

NBC admits the obvious: one man can't fill Tim Russert's three jobs

NBC News' decision to hire onetime Newsweek editor Mark Whitaker as its Washington D.C. bureau chief (he has been the Number Two guy at NBC News since 2007) means many things:

1) For the first time, a person of color will head the network's Washington D.C. coverage, an appointment which comes as America may elect its first president of color.

2) NBC has taken the first step in finding someone to take over former bureau chief Tim Russert's most visible role: hosting the Sunday political show Meet the Press.

But the most important news from this announcement is that NBC has officially served notice that one person will not hold all the jobs Russert did before he died last month of a sudden heart attack.

Medical experts can explain the circumstances of Russert's death -- that plaque which built along the sides of his arteries slid into a sudden blockage, stopping blood flow -- but the most casual observer couldn't avoid noticing that NBC's best-known political reporter actually held three different full-time jobs.

By handing executive supervision of Meet the Press, the D.C. bureau and the network's political coverage to Whitaker, the network can focus on finding the right on-air face to front the venerated politics show while former Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw keeps the seat warm until after the 2008 presidential election.

Of course, one look at Whitaker's new duties -- he's also continuing as a senior vice president at NBC News and planning to make occasional appearances as an on-air analyst -- show he may also have a couple of extra jobs in his portfolio. Still, one of the biggest gigs has been spun off the Russert replacement list.

I also have hope that Whitaker -- who appeared in Chicago at the UNITY: Journalists of Color convention last week -- will diversify the lineup of pundits appearing on Meet the Press, particularly beyond the three or four people of color Russert regularly used.   

Here's the press release:

MARK WHITAKER NAMED NBC NEWS D.C. BUREAU CHIEF

Position Includes Executive Oversight of "Meet the Press" and Network Election and Political Coverage

       NEW YORK - July 28, 2008 - NBC News announced today that Mark Whitaker has been named Chief of the network's Washington, D.C. bureau.  His appointment fills a vacancy left by the untimely death of Tim Russert in June.  Whitaker, a veteran, award-winning journalist who is currently a Senior Vice President at NBC News, will assume his duties immediately. The announcement was made by NBC News President Steve Capus, to whom Whitaker will report.

"The enormity of filling this position was by no means lost on any of us, given the significance this job holds, particularly on the eve of an extraordinary presidential election," said Capus.  "But the truth is, he is the ideal candidate for the job, and that was evident the minute we took stock of potential replacements.  Mark's got all of the components that will assure his success - a commitment to journalistic integrity, political savvy, a keen eye for the future, and a management style that is inclusive and fair. He is exactly what the bureau needs."

Whitaker will continue in his role as SVP at NBC News.  His day-to-day responsibilities will include executive oversight of "Meet the Press," as well as of all of NBC News' network election and political coverage.  As D.C. Bureau Chief, he will oversee all bureau management and administration, as well as work closely with NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd, and Deputy Bureau Chiefs Wendy Wilkinson and Brady Daniels.  Whitaker will also make occasional appearances as an on-air analyst.

"I am looking forward to keeping our coverage of politics and government the best in the business," said Whitaker.  "I am honored and humbled to succeed Tim, whose commitment to journalism without fear or favor is a beacon for us all. And I am thrilled to get to work with our unparalleled team of NBC reporters and producers in Washington."

CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE

Lessons learned from the TV Critics press tour

The Lambourghinis and Mercedes have rolled away. The paparazzi have moved on to the hip new restaurants and rehab facilities. And Teri Hatcher has been packed back into her cryogenic stasis chamber.

Yes, the TV Critics Association’s summer press tour has completed another wild, informative run.

And while the blizzard of celebrity-fueled press conferences, network TV parties and soundstage set visits has come to an end, this critic rolled away from the Beverly Hilton Hotel after eight days on Tuesday with a few important lessons learned about the state of the TV business heading into the dog days of 2008.

Lesson #1: The writer’s strike fallout continues – Even though the walkout by the nation’s film and TV writers in ended in February, it continues to screw up the television industry by limiting the amount of new shows any network could cobble together for this fall.

The broadcast networks problems emerged during press tour, as every outlet struggled to articulate the plotlines and story arcs for new series put into production without filming an initial “pilot” episode – leaving executives (and critics) with little evidence whether these lofty ideas might actually produce watchable shows.

Lesson #2: Without new shows, old shows face more pressure – Several series have promised big changes in trying to “reboot” returning shows which need to regain audience’s attention after months in reruns or worse. ABC’s Desperate Housewives is moving five years into the future, while NBC’s Heroes is focusing on a new cadre of villains and even Fox’s blockbuster American Idol is promising major changes.

“We’re all in this elevator – CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives – and the elevator’s going down,” said Housewives creator and executive producer Mark Cherry. “As a result, we’re willing to do anything to keep our audience base…There’s intense pressure to come up with something that gets everyone’s attention.

Lesson #3: TV has pretty much accepted its lack of diversity – Time and again, the question emerged – Why are there no new shows starring a person of color this year? – and the answer was mostly a shrug with promises to do better. In a down economy, networks are more willing to hand new shows to British and Australian actors than anyone with a skin tone darker than a light tan.

Obama's new media message: You're too tough on me

CHICAGO, Ill. -- After watching a collected Barack Obama discuss his whirlwind overseas tour before a throng of mostly adoring admirers at the UNITY conference here, I've discovered his new answer to the allegations that media is too enamored, too deferential, too distracted to really dissect his candidacy for president.

Obama's response: You guys are holding me to a different standard.

When Obama was asked whether it looked as if he was "running for president of the world" by giving a speech in Germany attended by 200,000 people and meeting with major heads of state overseas, Obama replied that John McCain had done the same thing when he clinched his party's nomination without criticism.

When asked whether his repeated denials of rumors that his Muslim might boomerang by feeding the notion there is something wrong with being Muslim, Obama said he has noted the anti-Muslim tenor of the allegations and complained that the question was a "no win" query.

"I would ask that I am treated like other candidates in terms of expectations," he said. It was a mostly smooth performance by a candidate in a much different position than the last time he faced members of the National Association of Black Journalists. Back then, in August 2007, some still questioned whether the biracial, assimilated Obama was "black enough" to win the electoral support of black people.

"Now I'm TOO black, he said, drawing laughs and applause. "There is this sense of going back and forth, depending on the time of day, about where I fit."

This time, the biggest issue elated to Obama's appearance didn't have much to do with the candidate directly. Instead, in discussions before Obama took the stage, journalists wrestled over the notion of whether members of a journalism organization should be applauding or indicating their support for a candidate -- in the way some members expressed disapproval of President Bush when he appeared at UNITY four years ago.

Pulitzer Prize winner Les Payne, a founder of NABJ, noted journalists shouldn't applaud, but that journalists applaud politicians all the time -- getting chummy with the politicians they cover at the White House Correspondent's Dinner and other events.

It's a measure of the lack of news Obama generated that this debate would prove one of the more compelling elements of the appearance, which capped the weeklong UNITY convention here of more than 5,000 attendees, mostly from journalism organizations representing black, Hispanic, Native American and Asian American journalists.

To bad moderator Suzanne Malveaux of CNN didn't press Obama a little to back up his recurring statements that he is treated differently. I also wondered why she didn't ask Obama about things journalists might care about -- like why he seemed to punish a writer for the magazine which published a satirical cover about him, leaving the reporter off his press plane. Or why he misdirected reporters into jumping on a plane he wasn't flying in, when he wanted to meet secretly with Hillary Clinton..

Instead, she let opportunity after opportunity pass to push back against a candidate who has shown surprising toughness with the press, despite widespread allegations that mainstream outlets are in love with him. 

Fox News, Pat Buchanan get 'Thumbs Down'

As part of the UNITY convention, the National Association of Black Journalists have released their annual Thumbs Down awards -- handed to individuals or media organizations taking actions at odds with the efforts of NABJ to spread fair and comprehesive coverage of minorities.

As head of the NABJ's Media Montoring Committee, I led the committee's work to draft nominees for the awards, which were voted on by NABJ's board of directors. The group is releasing the details of its pick at 11:30 a.m. today in the UNITY convention in Chicago.

Check out the press release here:

Fox News, Pat Buchanan Receive Annual ‘Thumbs Down’ Award from Black Journalists Group.
Racist and Insensitive Commentary join the News Organization’s Disregard for Diverse Political Reporters at the Association’s Annual Presentation.


CHICAGO, July 25, 2008 - The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) named FOX News, columnist Pat Buchanan, and news organizations with little to no diversity in its political coverage the 2008 recipients of the Thumbs Down Award.

The award is given annually to an individual or organization for especially insensitive, racist or stereotypical reporting, commentary, photography or a cartoon at odds with the goals of NABJ. The announcement was made at a mid–day news conference taking place at the UNITY: Journalists of Color Convention. Past recipients include columnist Armstrong Williams, former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair, and most recently, Black Entertainment Television.

Said NABJ President Barbara Ciara at the news conference, “If I had to list the atrocities committed by FOX News this election year, we’d be in this room all day. No other network has a worse record of inaccurate portrayals of African-Americans than FOX News.”

In a written statement, Ciara cited FOX News’s characterizing Michelle Obama as ‘Obama's Baby Mama,’ and FOX's E.D. Hill addressing her well-known fist bump (or pound) as a ‘terrorist fist jab’ on the airwaves.

NABJ also cited Buchanan’s column “A Brief for Whitey” where he asserted that white Americans are tired of complaints of racism from black people, including that “America has been the best country on earth for black folks.”

A frequent broadcast analyst, on May 2, he wrote a column titled “The Way Our World Ends,” concluding that "the Caucasian race is going the way of the Mohicans" because of a "baby boom among these black and brown peoples" that will bring an end to Western Man in the 21st Century.

“Exactly what rock is Pat Buchanan living under," said Ciara at the conference of Asian, black, Latino, and Native American journalists. “The Western World was born off the backs of black and brown people.”

NABJ also named news organizations across media platforms that have failed to provide a diverse pool of people covering elections as recipients of the annual award. “This is apparent in print, radio, television and online,” said Ciara. “This lack of diversity, especially for African Americans, has allowed far too many miscues and insensitive comments this election season.”

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, with more than 4,100 members, and provides educational, career development, and support to black journalists worldwide.

Embargoed until Friday, July 25, 2008 11AM

Deggans on NPR's Tell Me More from Chicago

Is it fair to refer to a bench clearing brawl during a WNBA game as a catfight?

Should I be insulted if someone asks me about GOP presidential contender John McCain, referring to him as "your boy McCain?"

Can anyone agree on whether it made sense for McCain to complain about  lack of media coverage, and then blow off attending a convention attended by nearly 6,000 media people of color?

These questions and more can be answered by clicking on the link below to hear my appearance with columnist Reuben Navarrette, freelance writer Jimi Izrael, BET.com overlord Nick Charles on former ABC correspondent Michel Martin's National Public Radio show , Tell Me More.

Recording in WBEZ studios at Navy Pier in Chicago, it was probably the nicest environment I ever opined in. The perfect atmosphere for playing the dozens and discoursing about the effect of brawling on the WNBA's ticket sales.

Check it out here    

Taking on Jena, Jeremiah and Barack Obama

CHICAGO, Ill. -- Since Tuesday evening, I've been basking in the aura of the UNITY: Journalists of Color conference -- a gathering of 6,000 attendees from the National Association of Black Journalists, the Native American Journalists Association, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Association.

It's something we only do every four or five years -- uniting the country's four largest organizations representing minority journalists. And even though cost-cutting, layoffs and economic uncertainty have reduced our numbers, everyone from PBS' Gwen Ifill to New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger is in the house for this most important event.

Normally, I would have been blogging like crazy about the events here, but I've been working overtime on the convention itself. Today, for example, I will appear on Michel Martin's NPR show Tell Me More from the Navy Pier in Chicago, trading barbs and ideas on the issues on the day during her show's "Barbershop" segment.

Hours later, in my capacity as NABJ's Media Monitoring Committee Chair, I'll be at a press conference announcing our annual Thumbs Down award criticizing the worst impact to diversity in journalism and our Best Practices honor singling out a wonderful advance.

At 3 p.m. today, I'm on a panel, "Jeremiah Wright and Jena: Who Reported It and Who Got it Right?" which will dissect the media frenzies surrounding these two hot-button race-based issues. I'm the lightweight among the panelists, which includes nationally known DJ Tom Joyner, NPR's Michel Martin and Rev. Michael Pfleger, the priest whose incendiary sermon about Hillary Clinton at Wright's Trinity church led to national headlines. The moderator is Michele Norris, host of NPR's All Things Considered. I was told as one point that this discussion would be aired on C-SPAN, so tune it in, if you've got time.

Finally, on Saturday, I'll be organizing a party here to promote next year's NABJ convention, which is scheduled for Tampa in August 2009. As president of the Tampa Bay area NABJ chapter, I'll be working hard over the next year to bring 3,000 journalists of color to the area next year.

Check out my posting on Sunday, after presidential candidate Barack Obama addresses our group (presumptive GOP nominee John McCain was also invited, but despite aggressive efforts to make space for him to address the convention, he declined, citing scheduling conflicts).

It's a crushing schedule, I know. But after spending an evening at dinner with a host of NABJ compadres last night -- including Ifill and Norris -- it's obvious how important it is for journalists of color to support each other in a media universe which still sometimes has trouble understanding our people and our work.

First look: Promo for Tampa native JoAnna Garcia's new CW show, Privileged

Critics haven't yet seen a pilot episode from Tampa native JoAnna Garcia's new CW show about a Yale graduate roped into serving as tutor/keeper for a pair of rambunctious Paris Hiltons in the making, Privileged.

But the CW released a bunch of material from their new show on YouTube recently, including a promotional trailer for the program, set in Palm Beach. Check it out and judge for yourself whether the former Reba co-star has landed in a program worth her time and talent.

CNN's Black in America a good start -- but only that

If you aren’t black, then CNN’s new documentary effort, Black in America, may seem like a revelation.

Anchor Soledad O’Brien has assembled a four-hour documentary which unfolds like a long litany of the challenges facing black people in modern times: the high number of black men in jail, the large number of black women raising children as single moms, the reticence of employers to hire black males, the difficulty of getting quality health care, and more.

“First, we were compelled to put into context a lot of the stories about race that we cover daily, but to give them more time and more thought,” said O’Brien, who spent more than a year developing the project, which features black women and family at 9 p.m. tonight and black men at 9 p.m. Thursday. “Then, secondly, (we wanted) to really examine the stories of a black middle class that, to a large degree, is invisible in mainstream media.”

Along the way, O’Brien also consults a who’s who of black notables. Pundit Michael Eric Dyson theorizes that black people’s prejudice against dark skinned people helped his darker brother land in prison. Entertainer Whoopi Goldberg talks about how welfare helped her stay afloat while raising a child in the ‘70s. Comic D.L. Hughley, a former member of the Bloods street gang, describes instructing his son on how to deal with a police stop.

It's a good effort from a cable channel which has given prominence to some voices which aren't particularly friendly to people of color, including anti-illegal immigrant zealot Lou Dobbs and super conservative Glenn Beck. And in a time slot traditionally dominated by middle-aged white guys, it's ap leasure to see in depth reporting on a different demographic.

But critics will note that the breadth of O’Brien’s vision often keeps her from digging too deep – skimming across a catalog of ills which will be familiar to many following these issues. Others may grouse that her subjects place lots of blame on institutions and systems rather than individual choices, making it tough sometimes to separate poor black people’s struggles from poor people’s problems in general.

Still, there are surprising moments. One researcher concludes black men without arrest records are as likely to get jobs as white men just out of jail, noting “being black in America is equivalent to having a felony conviction.” And a middle class black school official struggles to explain why one of his three sons served time in jail for shooting someone,  (O’Brien, however, fails to adequately explore how the one brother went so bad)

As a primer on race based challenges, it’s not bad. But it also feels like the beginning of a really long conversation; I'm hopeful that CNN is committed to continuing the dialogue they've started here.         

How to translate the total BS of Hollywood

After eight days, dozens of chicken dinners and countless conversations with airheaded celebrities, I'm winging my way east as the TV critics summer press tour winds to an end.

I'm actually stopping in Chicago for a week to check out the UNITY convention uniting journalism organizations representing black, Hispanic, Asian American and Native American people. But before I step on the plane, I can't help reflecting on the worst element of this particular cavalcade of star interviews, press conferences and hip-ified parties.

The total BS that comes out of everyone's mouth. Constantly.

Few people say what they really mean at a press conference for 200 journalists blogging in real time -- thank you Drew Carey and Dick Smothers! -- so you often have to decode what people are really saying out here.

Here's a little guide to dissecting all those innocuous quotes in press tour stories on my blog and elsewhere.

Actor says: "What drew me to this project was the script."

Actor means: "What drew me to this project was the paycheck. And the fact that I only have to work about three days a week."

Actor says: "This is just the happiest set I've ever worked on. We all really love each other."

Actor means: "We just started working together, so we're on our best behavior. Just wait until we win a couple of Emmys and I start up my crystal meth habit."

Producer says: "(He/She) walked in, and we knew right way this was the person for the role."

Producer means: "All the other really good actors emigrating from England were taken."

Producer says: "We just cast the best people for the role, and wound up with an all-white cast."

Producer means: "We just cast the best people we thought other white people might want to watch. And the just happened to be white!"

Network executive says: We love (insert name of troubled performer here), and can't wait to work with them again.

Network executive means: "It will be a cold day in the hell that is my existence when I ever return this egomaniac's telephone calls. Unless, of course, they land another hit movie."

Network executive says: "We love you critics; we wouldn't have successful shows without you."

Network executive means: "Our technology division is working out a Microsoft program which will write out a review 30 second after the episode airs. I'm betting you have about six months left in your job."

Gothed-out magician Criss Angel to chain himself to an imploding Clearwater building

In case you've ever wondered just how crazy gothed-out magic dude Criss Angel really is, now you've got more proof besides his brief flirtation with Britney Spears.

A&E today announced that Angel will chain himself to the historic Spyglass Resort in Clearwater on July 30, escaping from beams inside the 9-story building just as it is being demolished to make room for condominiums (for his next magic trick, Angel should try selling those units).

It's the first-ever live broadcast of “Criss Angel Mindfreak,” a show developed by Angel, who comes on like a gothed-out David Blaine, performing magic tricks and physical stunts. Airing at 10 PM  on July 30, the one-hour episode is titled “Building Implosion Escape” and will be hosted by Access Hollywood's Tim Vincent . The series' fourth season premieres Wednesday, July 23 at 10 PM ET/PT.

Why does Florida get all the, um, unique artists?

Here's a quote by Angel from the press release: “Every time I do a demonstration I try to take it up a level or two from what I have done in the past, from Cement Block in Times Square to my Double Straight Escape in front of over 10,000 fans in New Orleans,” said Criss Angel. “I can assure you that this demonstration will blow your mind and be above and beyond anything you have ever seen me attempt.”

Click below for the rest of the press release:

Jay Leno rips off Jimmy Kimmel

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- If, as the old joke goes, imitation is the sincerest form of television, then NBC emerged as the most sincere network around while addressing TV critics here on today.

Last week, ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel posed as a reporter during a press conference to show he wasn’t estranged from the network as rumors swirled that NBC host Jay Leno might land there when his contract expires in December 2009.

So when a bearded, bald guy took the microphone during a press conference with NBC executives here at the TV Critics Association’s summer press tour, it didn’t take many questions before real reporters figured out what was going on.

“Do you think what Jimmy Kimmel did…was kind of cheesy, coming (here) in disguise?” asked Leno, drawing laughs. “I know Leno got an Emmy nomination for his website garage but not for the Tonight Show, do you think people liked him better as a mechanic than as a talk show host?...(And) is it true you offered him a fifth hour of Today?”

But the prank didn’t shake the perception that NBC has a serious late night problem brewing (especially since Leno didn’t stick around to take questions). NBC announced Monday that Leno’s last show is Friday, May 29, 2009, and Conan O’Brien will take over the 11:30 p.m. timeslot the following Monday, June 1.

Since Saturday Night Live veteran Jimmy Fallon will take O’Brien’s timeslot - debuting online this fall, six months early, in a special 12:30 p.m. Web cast - the open question left is, where does Leno land? Particularly since Leno’s ratings have risen recently as O’Brien’s ratings have fallen.

Critics say Leno's recent actions, joking about a possible move to ABC on his show and telling USA Today he was done with NBC last week, shows that the network has pretty much thrown their longtime late night host under the bus in search of the younger ratings expected from O'Brien and Fallon. Leno may be playing nice now, because he's still under contract for 18 months.

“The point for you guys to take away is that we have a great relationship with Jay Leno,” said Ben Silverman, NBC entertainment chief, noting that the network has been criticized in the past for losing David letterman, Bryant Gumbel, Katie Couric and Tom Brokaw, only to see each of their replacements excel.

“(Leno’s) really good at what he does and is going to want to continue doing what he does,” said Silverman, adding that Leno felt a USA Today story last week which quoted him saying “I am definitely done - with NBC,” took his quote out of context. “He’s focused on what he’s doing today.”

The tough question left for NBC: What if Leno wants to keep doing what he does today -- namely, host the Tonight Show?

NBC also confused critics by announcing that Saturday Night Live veteran Amy Poehler will star in a prime time series for NBC debuting in March, developed by the executive producers of the network’s comedy, The Office. But it won't be an Office spinoff.

Details on how this will all work, which NBC suits were reluctant to divulge because they don't want to snark off the Office producers, didn't make much sense -- especially since the network is also developing an Office spin-off. The actresses’ pregnancy – she’s expected to have her baby in October or November – complicated plans for the project, keeping NBC from airing the first episode after the Super Bowl, and resulting in Poehler staying on SNL until she has her baby.

Silverman said he hopes to develop a crew of producers and actors from the Office to fill other shows, much in the same way creator Lorne Michaels has developed a crew of actors to top film and TV projects from the SNL cast.

Drew Carey feeling left out at 'Price is Right'

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Don’t bother asking new Price is Right host Drew Carey about the recent firing of the show’s longtime executive producer Roger Dobkowitz after 36 years, or rumors that network executives are planning an extensive overhaul of the program’s look.

Because, according to Carey, he’s just about the last person to know anything that happens on the venerated CBS game show.

“I get totally left out of any discussions – I didn’t find out about Roger until the night before,” said Carey Friday at a party for TV critics here held by CBS.

“When you want to know about what happened on a show, how are they changing things, what are they going to do – I’m the last person they tell,” he added, sounding a little dejected; Carey thinks news of Dobkowitz firing circulated widely because it happened over July 4 weekend just before a long hiatus for the show when no one could comment. “I just show up and they push me onstage.”

CBS Entertainment head Nina Tassler denied the network planned any extensive changes beyond putting a “fresh coat of paint” on the production with upgraded elements to the set and some new dollar amounts in some games.

“When Drew started this year, the refurbishment was already done,” she said, noting of the producer’s departure. “We were finding a way to bring in somebody who might be more Drew’s guy.”

Which was news to Carey, who said he got along with his producer and was surprised by the move. Carey also noted that the recent version of the nighttime Price Is Right Million-Dollar Spectacular he hosted made insurance executives nervous, handing out $3-million over the first four tapings.

“They wanted to put as much pressure on the contestant and make it as difficult as possible so they don’t have to give away a million dollars,” Carey said. “I think it’s going to be harder to win a million bucks – because that $3-million in four shows, scared the heck out of them. That’s a whole lot of money. We had to jump through some hoops just to get insurance for the next round of tapings.”

The comic also lamented lacking the time or energy to pull together a full-fledged return to standup comedy – mostly because the money is so good.

“Larry the Cable Guy, in 2006 according to the Wall Street Journal, made $21-million,” he said. “Find a person on TV making $21-million a year. Can you imagine how much money Chris Rock is making playing the Staples Center (in Los Angeles)? You can’t make that money making movies – unless you’re Will Smith, and they already got a Will Smith.”

Carey’s other problem: his life is going too well. “(Stand up comedy) is harder to do when you’re not desperate for laughs -- like I used to be. That’s the kind of thing where you really have to be hungry to do it well, and if I do it, I really want to do it well.”

SNL creator has no problem making fun of Obama

  BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- After tussling with conservative radio host Blanquita Cullum on CNN this morning over the issue of why some humorists think they can't make fun of Barack Obama, I decided to make sure today to ask the master:

So, Saturday Night Live creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels, why are other people finding it so hard to lampoon the Democratic candidate?

"He's still defining himself and he's primarily cast as heroic," Michaels said. "But sooner or later, everyone does something to irritate us. He becomes more and more familiar...you sort of find what the take is, and everyone agrees with it. In the summer of 2004, the May shows, Darryl (Hammond) did Al Gore twice on Weekend Update at dress (rehearsal), and neither time it worked, and he'd already been vice president for seven years. It took the fall, when everyone was paying attention, for people to get clear on where they were prepared to laugh." 

"I think that Obama can't be mocked until somebody finds a way in," he added. "As a sketch thing, it only works if everyone laughs. The only way everyone laughs is if it seems right...You can't preach to people about this stuff. It only works if everybody goes 'Absolutely -- that's exactly what I was thinking.' We give voice to that. It doesn't mean we're partisan in any way, we just give voice to that."

Michaels faced TV critics here Sunday with the cast from SNL to talk about a wide range of stuff: NBC will make two more live SNLs than last season, 22 episodes total, and four new episodes straight out of the box; the network will also present SNL: Thursday Night Live, four half-hour episodes on Thursday in October centered on the election; Michaels will be helping Jimmy Fallon prepare his new 12:30 p.m. late night show, expected to take Conan O'Brien's slot in 2009; he also will be helping O'Brien move to Los Angeles and take over the Tonight Show next year; he'll be helping out with 30 Rock as a producer.

  And, oh yeah, he'll have to deal with SNL's utility player, Amy Poehler, having a baby later this year -- "hopefully, after the elections," Michaels quipped of Poehler, who plays Hillary Clinton -- and hiring two new cast members for the 33-year-old variety show.

"A lot of comedy people are like procrastinators who hate failure," said head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor Seth Meyers. "So, when they have to actually do a show, they all come together -- I'm not worried."

It's a interesting sight: After enduring inevitable talk last year that the show might again be on the decline, Michaels has spread his unique brand of SNL-forged humor across the showbiz landscape -- from 30 Rock star Tina Fey's successful movie Baby Mama, to Michael's dominance of NBC's late night plans. (he said Fallon, for example, will debut Webisodes online in the fall five or six months before his actual show debuts).

But one thing Michaels wouldn't dish much on: How he feels about the fact that NBC made a deal to center their late night lineup on his proteges O'Brien and Fallon, without finding a role for the guy currently winning the ratings war in late night, Jay Leno.

"I have so little to say on that," he said, smiling. "I only work there...One of the things that I learned from the first years of Conan, was how tough it is to find the show on the air. in 1975 with SNL, we were in a relatively obscure time period...we were able to stay experimental and keep finding it...Beginning (Fallon's) show online will give us a chance to find the show before it debuts."   

Tampa native Joanna Garcia: a veteran actress in kid's clothing

As an appropriately cynical TV opinionator, whenever I meet Tampa native Joanna Garcia, I'm always wondering in the back of my mind: Is she for real?

That's because, despite assembling a lengthy showbiz resume -- she starred in the old Nickelodeon series Are you Afraid of the Dark? back in 1994 -- Garcia seems as bubbly and enthusiastic as the day she started her first acting job, playing the role of Wendy in a Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center production of Peter Pan about 18 years ago.

This year may be the best year for her since snagging a co-starring role in the WB's long-running sitcom Reba in 2001. The 28-year-old is finally starring in her own series, Privileged, for the struggling CW network, playing a Yale graduate forced to care for a family's bratty rich kids in Palm Beach, Fla.

Considering some of the overnight success stories clogging Hollywood these days -- seems all you need to get a starring role in a network series these days is a work visa from England -- it's always surprised me that the Tampa Catholic High School grad didn't snag a series sooner, given her wide-eyed beauty, dedicated work ethic and CW-network-ready youthful look.

I spent some hanging with Garcia on the set of her new show last week -- where the show's crew has recreated the interiors of a glitzy, Trump-style mansion with surprising detail. I expect to cobble together a story based on my day there soon; Garcia proved an engaging, earnest subject, tackling everything from her romance with fiancee and longtime Justin Timberlake partner Trace Ayala to questions about why she dyed her signature blonde tresses auburn (it signifies a life change for her character in the pilot).

She may need that positive attitude soon: producers have been working hard to turn a 20-minute presentation filmed for the network into a full-fledged hourlong episode, bringing along movie veteran Anne Archer as the mother who hires Garcia's Megan Smith, crafting a comedy striving to bridge the gap between teens and young adults.   

“The one thing that’s kept me upbeat about my career, is that I’ve always made choices based on the material,” said Garcia, now starring in a comedy series producers defined as “the Gilmore Girls teaching the Gossip Girls.” “I feel really proud of everything I’ve done, because I never did anything for the money.” 

Hanks, Fey, Giamatti shine at the TV Critics' awards

More than once during the Television Critics Association awards ceremony last night, this thought came to mind:

THIS is why I love my job.

The TCA offers a unique take on awards ceremonies, held on the last Saturday night of press tour every year to celebrate the best the small screen has to offer. Because we want our honorees to show up, we tell them in advance who has won, and each year most every award winner does come to the Beverly Hilton Hotel for their glass plaque.

We have a no-muss ceremony, with a short intro from a TCA member for each award and a short -- usually very entertaining -- acceptance speech from the winner. And because it isn't televised, the onstage moments can offer wondrously off-the-wall magic.

Like John Adams star Paul Giamatti repeatedly referring to his part in HBO's grand seven-part epic as a "nutbuster." Several times. Or 30 Rock creator/star Tina Fey dishing on her love for Bosom Buddies (of course, Tom Hanks was in the house), relating how "the rest of our cast could not be here, because NBC is broke," and admitting how co-star Jack McBrayer "is actually a child...made up to look like a 30-year-old hillbilly."

Hanks, in accepting John Adams' TCA award for best movie and miniseries as a producer, noted that one objective of the project was "to show a president of the United States and his first lady, doing the deed in bed...We have achieved that goal." Hanks also gave a shout out to his award-winning star noting "(he) will show you his busted nuts...thank God this isn't on TV."

The night started with an amazing tribute to the Smothers Brothers, who stopped by to fill the show's traditional opening monologue (in the past, ably filled by comics such as Drew Carey and Garry Shandling), recounting how their songs and skits criticizing the Vietnam War got them fired from CBS, despite the fact they were earning serious ratings against TV's most popular show, the long-running Bonanza.

Dick and Tom Smothers showed clips from their series, which has taken on iconic status for critics,  revealing a pre-gray haired Steve Martin (a writer/performer on the show), early TV appearances by The Who and the Doors, an anti-war talk from Beatle George Harrison and an appearance from a brown-haired, Grizzly Adams-looking Kenny Rogers.

The biggest perk for critics: after the show, the celebs often mingle with us ink stained wretches. So I caught up with Dick Smothers, who owns a home in Siesta Key, and asked whether this war with this president feels reminiscent of the Vietnam War with the president who may have gotten them fired, Dick Nixon.

"Oh yes, but this is on steroids and crack...out of control," said Smothers. "I really think we should have a government where, if we lose confidence in them, we vote them out -- just like they do in France or England. The government should fear the people..they're our servants. But we fear the government."

The pair expect to soon see a DVD released of their legendary show, starting with the third and most controversial season "because that was the most funny," he said. "I think we get too much credit. we were in the chain of evolution...What we did is give the variety show a boost. CBS figured we were going to die anyway, so they gave us creative control. But we didn't like having an innocuous show, we wanted our show to be socially relevant...(After us) came Laugh In and Carol Burnett...suddenly, variety shows were hot, because TV loves to copy a hit."

Why a DVD set now? "We wanted to put it out before everyone who saw the show was dead," Smothers cracked.

Click below to see the 2008 TCA Award recipients:

Brenda Lives! Shannen Doherty joining '90210'

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- It’s a typically twisted showbiz irony: When the cast and creators from one of the most-anticipated new fall shows came to face the press, Topic A was the one person who wasn’t in the room.

Still, producers of the CW network’s new 90210 couldn’t wait to drop their big news Saturday to a roomful of TV critics: Shannen Doherty, the buzzed-about, troubled former star of Beverly Hills 90210, has agreed to join the cast of their 21st century reboot.

Doherty joins original 90210 alums Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth in the new show, playing a grown-up Brenda Walsh as a successful theater actress who returns to her old alma mater to direct a musical production.

But 90210 star Lori Loughlin, who was toiling away in the cast of the classic sitcom Full House when the first edition of 90210 was redefining television, urged critics to keep in mind that returning stars such as Doherty, Spelling and Garth won’t be the core of the revamped series. 

“It will be a new show…we certainly don’t want people tuning in, thinking they’re going to see Luke Perry and Jason Priestly and Brain Austin Green, because they’re not,” said Loughlin, who plays the mother in a couple moving their kids to Beverly Hills from Kansas to care for her mother-in-law, a faded TV star-turned-alcoholic.

“It is a new group of kids at West Beverly High, with new teenagers and new issues,” she said. “Kids are exposed to a little bit more at an earlier age. Stuff that we were dealing with in college, maybe they’re dealing with in high school. They want to show this new world of teenagers today.”

Critics here noted that the first 90210 was a groundbreaking show, which centered on a glamorous collection of teenage characters at a time when few show paid attention to that age group. The new edition hopes to draw in both fans of the old show and curious youngsters, featuring classic characters grown up and a re-imagining the show’s old diner hangout, The Peach Pit, as a cool coffeehouse with an upstairs club.

Critics also noted this is the series which could save the flagging CW: a buzzed-about production which might actually draw a wide spectrum of viewers. “It’s huge pressure…but you just have to do your job," said executive producer Gabe Sachs. "The network and the studio, they’re concerned about every little part of this, because this is a big deal to them. Gone are the days when a network says 'Hey creative people -- here's a pile of money, go make your TV show.'

Sachs and his partner Jeff Judah hope to bring the same subversive spirit which made past shows they’ve written – Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared and Just Shoot Me – critical favorites. They also hoped to retain their reputation for keeping a tension-free workspace, despite the addition of Doherty, who left the first 90210 and her later series Charmed, amid rumors of sharp disagreements with producers and co-workers on both shows.

Speaking to reports after the session today, Sachs downplayed any notions of Doherty as a trouble maker -- though her offscreen antics years ago were legendary, from getting arrested for assault in the '90s to a DUI charge in 2001. He said someone from her camp called him as news of the reboot was circulating Hollywood, and they eventually agreed to meet at a restaurant to feel each other out.

“I couldn’t judge her, I’d just heard these stories about her…but we brainstormed on ideas and she was so excited,” said Sachs of Doherty. “We’re including her, and I think maybe her (previous) experience was very different.”

Could Cyrus the Virus or Morpheus have replaced Grissom?

It's hard to imagine someone as quirky and cool as John Malkovich (Con Air's Cyrus the Virus) or Matrix co-star Laurence Fishburne actually doing time on a CBS cop show.

So it's not surprising really that CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler wound up admitting that attempts to secure Malkovich as a possible addition to the cast of CSI never worked out, amid news that star William Petersen was leaving his role next season as team leader Gil Grissom. Tassler said the network "talked about" Fishburne, but never really settled on him.

The new character Malkovich would have played wouldn’t necessarily replace Petersen’s character, joining the Las Vegas forensics unit as a new guy who secretly knows he has a genetic disposition to become a serial killer. Tassler expected Petersen to leave the show after 10 episodes or so in the middle on the 2008-09 season, overlapping a few shows with the new character.

“You look at someone like John Malkovich,..who has an interesting internal life to every character he does,” Tassler said, noting that Malkovich begged off before formal negotiations could begin. “We’re looking for someone that has depth and scope and gravitas.”

 

 

 

Katie Couric to critics: I'm not going anywhere

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Like Jennifer Holliday's fierce character from Dreamgirls, Katie Couric had one, unambiguous message for TV critics here during a press conference for CBS News:

Despite all the hyped-up reports suggesting the anchor was planning a quick exit from the CBS Evening News, she’s ain't going nowhere.

“We have no plans to part company,” Couric said, when I asked about rumors in the press earlier this year that she would leave the show after the presidential election in November or after the inauguration in January.

“There were a lot of speculative pieces that I think got, quite frankly, spun out of control,” she added, speaking to reporters in California by satellite from the evening news studios in New York City. “When you work with an organization, you have ongoing discussions. (But) I am very committed to the people here. I’m very committed to the product. So I can say (the stories are) not true.”

Flanked by Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer, political analyst Jeff Greenfield and CBS News president Sean McManus, Couric seemed to cut a different figure than the glamorous news celebrity who took over the network’s flagship news program nearly two years ago. Stressing the show’s quality and the work to come covering politics and war, CBS was presenting a de-glamorized Couric; someone more in tune with the traditional priorities of the evening news audience and still hopeful they would give her show a chance.

On the question, for example, of why all three network news anchors are traveling with Democratic candidate Barack Obama for his trip to Iraq next week, Couric was candid: Obama’s organization was smart enough to invite the press along.

“I think it was very deft on the part of the Obama campaign,” she said, noting she spent time in McCain’s campaign headquarters for a story to air next week. “I have to be honest, when John McCain went to four countries in the Middle East in March – I think had he extended an invitation, offered time for each network anchor to sit down to have a extended conversation and access to him on that trip. I think that’s something we would have considered…(though) Obama going to the Middle East is a bigger story.”

My question: Why are such high-powered journalists depending on campaign staffers to invite them to cover the news? 

Schieffer had a different take: “(Obama’s) only been there once in two years…and the reason he’s going is John McCain dared him to go,” said the veteran political reporter. “It doesn’t bother me to be criticized for covering the news too much. It’s when we don’t cover it enough, that’s when I think the criticism is a little more valid.”

The group also defended foreign correspondent Lara Logan – Schieffer called her “the greatest reporter of her generation” -- despite recent messy headlines about her personal life and public criticism of the way CBS News handled some of her stories.

Still, Couric and Co. had few answers for why the CBS Evening News as recently as April still notched record low ratings, as viewers still hesitate to watch a show now winning major journalism awards and acknowledged by critics as equal to the competition.

“We can do what we’ve said from day one: which is put on the best quality newscast we can,” said McManus. “I continue to believe that if we do that, more people will watch.”

Deggans on CNN Sunday: Can anyone lampoon Obama?

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.-- Just returned from a trip to CNN's Los Angeles bureau, where I engaged Reliable Sources host Howard Kurtz in a pre-taped discussion on why comics feel they can't make fun of Barack Obama. More on that here.

In true showbiz fashion, I traveled 3,000 miles to go on a show produced in Washington D.C., facing the camera at 7:30 a.m. Pacific time to declare all this angst about lampooning candidate Obama mostly hogwash. We taped the segment today, but you'll be able to see it at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday on CNN.

Saturday Night Live lampooned Obama's love affair with the press and the possibility he might turn to Hillary Clinton for advice as president months ago. Animation political satirists Jib Jab offered a pretty sharp skewering this week of Obama's tendency to speak in gauzy, hopeful generalities (here's another Jib Jab gem on Obama). And Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock have been cracking jokes about the difficulties a black president would face for years (Rock even made a movie about it, and awful as Head of State was, nobody suggested he crossed some kind of propriety line).

So why exactly can't people find ways to poke fun at a nerdy, slightly effete metrosexual with a funny name? (shout out to Joel Stein, who aptly summed this all up in a cheeky Los Angeles Times column today).

There are some challenges. Because all the late night comedy shows are hosted by white guys, it is difficult for them to make fun of Obama's most obvious attribute -- that he's a person of color. Frankly, if more of them had people of color in their casts, or if a network had a show hosted by a person of color, it wouldn't be such an issue for them. This may be another way Obama's candidacy naturally pulls us into a discussion on the advantages of diversity, creating a situation where the advantages of having a range of voices available to comment on issues becomes more obvious.

And you traffic in clumsy humor about Obama at a higher risk. At a time when every little comment can become a huge controversy, both supporters and enemies of Obama will be sensitive to ham-handed efforts to poke at him -- which was the problem with the New Yorker cover, I think.

Anyway, tune into the discussion Sunday and feel free to come back here and offer your own comments. Frankly, I find it surprising that some folks act as if Obama's skill at presenting an image which is tough to lampoon is somehow a criticism of him.

'Grey's' creator endures Heigl-related hell

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Critics must have tried asking the same question of Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes four different times, during a press conference here minutes ago alongside producers from Lost, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives and Dirty Sexy Money:

Aren't you pissed at Katherine Heigl?

After all, Heigl blamed the show's writers for not writing material strong enough for her to submit material for an Emmy nomination -- an award she won last year. Rumors flew that she was off the show or trying to get kicked off the show to pursue her film career or about to see her character given a brain tumor for her trouble.

Unfortunately, Rhimes, who was expecting a grilling, wouldn't bite, noting that Heigl had asked to be used lightly toward the end of last season to do a movie. "When I was told about it, I found it surprising," she said, wearing the same vaguely annoyed look critics often see from her. "The story that's out in the press is generally only half the story...I didn't feel insulted."

Then, Desperate Housewives producer Mark Cherry provided a better answer, referencing an infamous photo shoot for Vanity Fair that reportedly devolved into a fight among the four stars. "Usually,the best way to deal with actors, is you pretend they're real people and talk to them," he said, drawing big laughs. "I ultimately solved it by hugging a sobbing actress for 30 minutes and assuring her, this too shall pass...It's not real life, its just show business."

And his advice for explaining Heigl's comments? "She was drunk," he said, laughing. "Did that help?"

Maybe not Rhimes, but it sure worked for the rest of us.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the whitest member of The View, cries over the n-word

Something else we can blame Jesse Jackson for: in a discussion of the n-word on The View -- in which both the show's black panelists defended their right to use it -- resident tight-ass Elisabeth Hasselbeck nearly was brought to tears by Whoopi Goldberg's aggressive deployment of the slur.

As you can see from this clip, the censors at ABC must have worn out their fingers on the audio mute button, cutting out Goldberg's many, many variations on "nigger."

I myself find it ironic that one of the show's most white bread figures was the person who got most upset by the exchange (it's no surprise that black folks' complex relationship to the n-word is beyond the capacity of Whoopi, Elisabeth or Sherri Shepherd to articulate on TV). Note to poor Elisabeth: You have got to stop picking fights that you don't have the heart to finish. You haven't seen your hero George Bush getting all weepy over any of his bonehead moves, have you?

Media General revenue woes a template for what ails the newspaper biz

Tampa Tribune and WFLA-Ch. 8 owner Media General released figures on its second quarter profits, and the numbers are a disturbing, unfortunate blueprint for what is crumbling the modern newspaper model.

The headline is that Media General's publishing division unveiled second-quarter profits of $6.8-million this year. Last year's 2Q profit: $22.6-million.

Florida publishing revenue declined 24.7 percent. Classified ad revenue, the core source of profit for most newspapers, was down 29.5 percent from last year; that's $14.1-million, with most losses coming from Tampa. Where do newspapers get much of the rest of their ad revenue? Automotive ads, real estate ads and employment ads. For Media General, those revenues dipped 38.5 percent for automotive, 42.7 percent for employment and 38.9 percent for real estate ads.

The Tampa market also got blamed mostly for a $1.8-million decline in national advertising and a $3.4-million drop in retail advertising. In the face of these losses, staff reductions have saved the company 6.9 percent in salary costs and reductions in print saved 7.2 percent in newsprint expenses.

By contrast, broadcast revenues dipped just 5.7-percent to $14.9-million from last year, aided by $2.8-million in political advertising, which probably won't return next year. The company's Interactive Media Division also posted a loss of $656,000, compared to $359,000 in profit last year.

As I've written before, all the traditional revenue streams are declining at a rate far faster than savings from cuts or new platforms. Not an encouraging sign for any of us.

Emmy nominations serve notice: cable is where the best TV lives

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – There’s a changing of the guard in the air today, as a fresh posse of buzzed-about new series collected major nominations in the 2008 Emmy awards – many from the world of basic cable TV.

Critical darlings such as AMC’s Mad Men and Breaking Bad, HBO’s In Treatment, FX’s Damages and ABC’s Pushing Daisies burst into major categories among the nominees announced today, in some cases pushing out more established shows. Experts pointed fingers at the Hollywood writer’s strike, which hobbled Emmy favorites such as Fox’s 24 and NBC’s Heroes, sending viewers in search of quality TV to basic cable series in greater numbers.

Nowhere was this more evident than in the drama acting categories, where Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston and In Treatment’s Gabriel Byrne surfaced as best actor nominees – occupying space once held by the Sopranos and 24.