The Morning Fix: Leno reviews; Hulu is not your friend; Truth and documentaries; More Kanye; Remembering Swayze
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
After the coffee. Before deciding whether to book your talent on Leno.
Programming for margins or marginal programming? The reviews are coming in for Jay Leno’s new prime time show and -- big surprise -- if you weren’t a fan of the comic in late night (most critics weren’t) you won’t be at 10 p.m. either. Critical love has never been key to Leno’s success anyway. One things for sure. Leno’s staff needs to send Kanye West a fruit basket. Overnight ratings appear to have been solid, early national numbers will be available for scrutiny and over-analysis later this morning. Remember people, it’s one night walking on a long road. Reviews from Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today and Variety.
All bark and no bite. Remember when shareholder activist Carl Icahn was threatening to install his own slate of directors at Lions Gate? Well, the company’s annual meeting is today and Icahn is keeping quiet. Los Angeles Times ace Claudia Eller looks at what’s going on with Icahn and Lions Gate.
We have met the enemy and they is us. Hulu, the News Corp., NBC Universal and Disney-owned online video site, could destroy advertiser-supported television, warns media analyst Laura Martin. In a new report, detailed by Media Post, Martin warns that as consumers become more used to getting content from Hulu (and no doubt similar sites), they will cut the cord on their cable. The big problem is the ad rates for online content can’t support the programming costs.
Veoh beats Universal. Vivendi’s Universal Music lost its legal battle against Veoh Networks Inc., the video-sharing site, reports The Wall Street Journal. We predict that with this case out of the way, speculation will start on Veoh being a takeover target.
Forget Leno, what about the rest of NBC. The Wrap is previewing the fall TV season and today looks at NBC’s lineup. The Peacock will likely still finish fourth, but it might be fourth place with a smiley face as some of its shows could catch on.
Buy this book. ‘TheDa Vinci Code’ author Dan Brown’s new novel ‘The Lost Symbol’ is expected to be a huge bestseller. So why are Amazon, Boarders and Barnes & Noble offering big discounts? The Wall Street Journal looks at how much is riding on this title for the struggling book publishing business.
Defining truth. The Center for Social Media at American University has released ‘Honest Truths: Documentary Filmmakers on Ethical Challenges in Their Work’ that says while many documentarians have good intentions they ‘operate under ad hoc ethical codes. The New York Times looks at the study amidst the anticipation of Michael Moore’s latest release ‘Capitalism: A Love Story.’
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Two Hollywood producers were found guilty of bribing a Thai government official, which could lead to greater scrutiny of the at-times murky overseas festival business. More on Kanye West’s hijacking of the MTV Awards including a look at the security (or lack thereof) at the show. Remembering Patrick Swayze.
-- Joe Flint
