'American Idol': At auditions' end

And so the understated audition tour glides to an understated final stop in Miami. In interviews, Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe dangled the very specific number three as the quantity of unmistakable earth-shattering talents we would meet in the pre-season.

Though admittedly, this critic is more of a theater gourmand than a licensed arbiter of musical abilities, I nonetheless am not quite sure of which three he was talking about. I feel that along this audition trail we have met a good number, as many as 20 or so, of very credible talents with great growth potential (not to mention tear-jerking back stories).  But I can’t say I’ve had the “Oh My God” moment that I remember when first gazing upon Katharine McPhee or Melinda Doolittle. 

Then again, both of them lost in respective seasons, and I have little to no memory of the first visions of Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks or Fantasia Barrino. I remember Taylor Hicks’ first audition all too clearly, but for different reasons.  Kelly Clarkson’s audition wasn’t aired during the Season 1 tour, proving that the fates can be capricious to the producers’ attempts to construct an orderly narrative out of this vast, sweeping process.

A modest success for Miss America's reality experiment

TLC did better than expected with Saturday's live airing of the Miss America pageant, although the telecast's reach was still a long way from its glory days on network TV.

An average of 3.6 million total viewers tuned in to "Miss America Live," a 50% jump over last year's ceremony on rival cable outlet CMT, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. The program was the night's No. 1 cable show among women ages 18 to 49.

The live ceremony in Las Vegas was preceded for the first time by a four-episode unscripted series, "Miss America: Reality Check," which followed the 52 contestants as they prepared for the pageant. Friday's finale logged 1.1 million total viewers.

Nevertheless, the pageant itself is a faint echo of its former status as a broadcast TV perennial. Earlier this decade, the show was still averaging 10 million or so viewers a year.

-- Scott Collins

Christmas-giving the 'House' way

It was Christmas in January at ye olde Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Not only did we get the first new episode of "House" in weeks, we got one set in December, a time warp courtesy of the writers strike. Fox wisely squirreled away three new eps in the hopes of a week-long ratings blowout, peaking this Sunday when a very special episode of "House" will follow the Super Bowl.

Watching last night, one couldn't help but wonder if this was one of the storylines that was rushed through the writing room in those final pre-strike days. Though heaven knows any new "House" is more than welcome, this one, titled "It's a Wonderful Lie,"  lacked a certain richness, a depth of dialogue, perhaps, than the show normally delivers. With his new four-person team in place -- Foreman, Taub, Kutner and Thirteen -- House is faced with a woman whose hands have inexplicably become paralyzed. Then she goes blind. Convinced, as usual, that the woman is lying about something, House cross-examines her young daughter. While asking questions I'm pretty sure could get him arrested, he finds himself up against the creature he long considered imaginary: a perfectly honest person. What he sees gives even the unflinchable doc pause.

The case seems to turn the show's own conventions upside down, yet it doesn't quite. The mother, played by Janel Moloney, (and isn't it nice to see her again?) lost her own mom to breast cancer that was never mentioned until it was too late, so she swore she would never lie to her own daughter. But of course she has, and the big reveal is not only obvious, it doesn't really go anywhere. Indeed, during the climactic scene, after House performs his "Christmas miracle," no one seems to know quite what to say. Literally. Which left me wondering if perhaps the WGA's call for "pencils down" had come at an extremely bad time.

Or maybe I just missed the point. Heaven knows I've certainly missed "House." And while the B-plot of the newbies participating in a Secret Santa gift exchange in which House has rigged the outcome to keep the competition among them roiling was a bit weak, Dr. Wilson is getting cheekier by the day. "Are we going somewhere?" House asks when his friend strides away down the hall. "No," Wilson answers, "I just know it hurts you." How I love Robert Sean Leonard.

A very fun little narrative with a patient who House "diagnoses" as a prostitute with a "pony show" winds up with a Christmas pageant -- the patient's allergic reaction to a donkey is the result of her role as the blessed virgin. It's always nice to end a Christmas episode with a nativity scene, not to mention the miraculous sight of House in church. A tad strange in January, but hey, we'll take what we can get. Now, on to the Super Bowl.

-- Mary McNamara

(Photo courtesy Fox)

'American Idol': Less for success?

Is the idea of a low-key "American Idol" an oxymoron?  What happens to the Earth when a juggernaut relaxes? Or when Atlas unwinds?  Does the globe topple and shatter?

Impossible as it sounds, that was the vibe on TV's biggest hit Tuesday night as Ryan and the gang took Omaha. Taken as a whole, it felt not like a sloppy night -- the "Idol" machine never cuts corners -- but as if somehow the show’s trademark slowly growing drumbeat towards the Kodak had been dialed down a few notches. It was almost as if the team was becoming a bit too comfortable with its place in history. In Omaha we saw Paula show up late, Simon almost nonchalantly wave half the night’s contestants (the ones we saw at least) on to Hollywood, another farm boy drawl about the beauty of the prairie and Ryan joke about the judges' overpaid/underworked lives.   

The night'€™s weirdos were restricted merely to an over-enthusiastic Kelly fan and a fairly standard-issue trench-coated Goth girl, both of whom Simon was touchingly indulgent to. The tearjerkingest story was a girl who hadn'€™t talked to her father in a few months.

Could it be that Omaha is just not a cauldron of high drama? Or has the "Idol" family gotten too used to life in the white-hot spotlight?

Or perhaps, could the show once again be playing with our expectations? After last year's reputedly off-ish season, the conventional thinking was that in Season 7 "American Idol" would respond to the lag just as would every other show since Aristophanes'€™ time -- by upping the thrills! Doubling the stunts! Tripling the stars!

On a sitcom, they would be bringing in Jonathan Winters as Mork's son. On a news show, Dan Rather would suddenly be sharing an intro with Connie Chung and standing in the middle of hurricanes. On a soap opera, characters slain seasons ago would be discovered alive in the mountains and the family living room would be converted into a brothel. On "Lost," they would find a polar bear up a tree and forget to push the button to keep the world from exploding.

But on "American Idol," we have thus far been treated to a pre-season that is, if anything, a downshift from last year. The formula remains intact but with just a tiny bit less weirdo abuse, a few less-produced novelty segments, no guest celebrity judges, and all in all, slightly fewer reminders about the size, scope and world-shattering import of the whole thing.

Then there'€™s this possibility: That on "American Idol" -- the universe's most supremely self-confident and self-aware show -- they are responding to the challenge of how to bolster their show by actually turning it down a notch. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has repeatedly said in interviews that he plans to focus on the contestants more this season, but who could have imagined that he would take things to such extremes? If Idol is responding to the challenge by underplaying production values and reining in the hype machine, it would be a historic first in entertainment history. The season will tell whether a smaller production means in the end, a bigger drama.

And by the way: Based on her performance last night, I am declaring Samantha Sidley the new front-runner -- even though I know it is impossible for an L.A. native to win. Which raises the question, why is an L.A. girl trying out in Omaha? Was the 405 closed the days of the San Diego auditions?

P.S.: A million thanks to the venerable Todd Martens for filling in this space last week.  A fine, hard-nosed reporter with a heart of stone, as his reports demonstrated.  I look forward to continuing the debate with him, and setting him straight, in the comments section where he will weigh in.

--Richard Rushfield

(Photo courtesy FOX)

SAG negotiator, president send out words of caution on DGA deal

In an e-mail to Screen Actors Guild members, National Executive Director Doug Allen and SAG President Alan Rosenberg outline criticisms of a recently negotiated deal between directors and studios. They stressed that the agreement would not be a template for an actors contract. The current contract expires June 30:

January 29, 2008

Dear SAG Member:

        Everyone hopes the WGA strike will end with a fair deal for the writers.  There has been much speculation about the impact on the WGA strike of the tentative agreement between the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the employers' representative, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).  Some have rushed to anoint their deal as the “solution” for the entertainment industry.  We believe that assessment is premature.

        All we know of the deal are the general terms described in a joint AMPTP/DGA press release.  That press release leaves many important questions unanswered.  Apparently, many elements of this deal remain unresolved and/or have not been reduced to writing.

        The DGA press release suggests progress in some areas, but until the details are known, that is only speculation.  Several examples:  The formula for new media “electronic sell through (paid downloads or EST)” is based on the higher distributor’s gross revenues, rather than producer’s gross revenues, but the definition of distributor’s gross is vague and not sufficient to protect against manipulation by the employers.  Also, information regarding employer “deals and data” will be available to the DGA to monitor distributor’s gross and paid downloads on the Internet, but the press release does not detail what data, who provides the data, and what happens if the data is not provided.  The devil is in the details.  In the tri-guild audits under the current guilds’ collective bargaining agreements (including the DGA’s), for example, some audits are still open after eight years, because of problems with enforcement under current contract language.

        Some have suggested that the new DGA deal contains a “fair market value” test for revenues included in the new media residuals calculation, to protect against self-dealing when one part of a conglomerate sells new media content to another part of the conglomerate at an unfair, low price in order to reduce residuals.  We hope this is true,  but the press release does not use “arms-length transaction” or “fair market value test” language, and says only, “If  our exhibitor or retailer is part of the producer’s corporate family, (DGA has) improved provisions for challenging any suspect transactions.”  This language could mean anything, and certainly does not guarantee against self-dealing by media conglomerates to hurt creative talent.

        Fair market value and distributor’s gross are two issues that the AMPTP demanded that the WGA take off the table, along with four other items, which resulted in talks breaking off in December.  Now after prolonging the strike for another month, the AMPTP has negotiated these two issues with the DGA.

        That is the good news.  There are also even more serious problems with other provisions described in the DGA press release, particularly those involving new media. For example, why are residuals for electronic sell-through (paid downloads or EST) for directors based on their lower DVD formula (.3%) rather than the higher pay TV formula (1.2%) in their current agreement?  All three guilds – SAG, WGA, and DGA – filed for arbitration to overturn management’s attempt to impose the DVD formula for residuals on the calculation of residuals for downloads under the current agreement.  The DGA stated in their arbitration filings that payment of the lower amount is a violation of the collective bargaining agreement and the proper residual formula is the higher pay TV percentage.  The concession by the DGA in the new deal, to use the formula that management improperly imposed under the current agreement, is an AMPTP roll-back.  The new agreed-upon percentages for television (.7%) or feature films (.65%) are much lower in the DGA deal than the percentage that the DGA claims is appropriate in its arbitration (1.2%).  And these “increases”, which are based on the discredited DVD formula, do not increase residuals on the sale of DVD’s, but only apply to downloads; despite the fact that DVD’s  will generate billions in revenue to the studios and networks for years to come.

        The very high thresholds in the DGA deal for full jurisdiction for made for new media content may well incentivize non-union work below the threshold amounts ($15, 000/minute, $300,000/program, $500,000/series, whichever is lower).  What will stop the industry from making cheap, non-union pilots at below $300,000 per episode, for testing first on the Internet before the productions migrate to broadcast or basic cable?

        Your Guild has signed 210 Internet producers to SAG contracts in the past two years and only seven of them (or 3%) would fall inside the high DGA jurisdictional thresholds.  We have worked hard, just as we do with low budget features, to capture this Internet work and to make sure it is done union.   This DGA proposal appears to abandon jurisdiction over a huge swath of actual Internet productions, which we currently cover.

        This deal gingerly addresses certain issues now, with the apparent hope that in three years or more, revenues will grow and the agreement can be improved to capture more of it.  Bargaining history in the entertainment industry, however, teaches that it is much harder to get a fair share of revenue after management puts it in their pockets for years.  Residual compensation should be based on a fair share of revenue generated by covered content from the first dollar.  Rather than a “percentage of revenue, payment from first dollar” approach to residuals, the DGA deal instead provides for a 17 day window for free streaming of television programs over the Internet without compensation (24 days for the program’s first season).  The deal also allows a one year buy-out of $1200 for Internet use v. $20,000 for one re-run on broadcast television.

        For these specific reasons, and because so much of the new DGA/AMPTP deal is unknown, no one should assume this new deal is a template for anyone else, certainly not for actors.  It is up to the leadership and membership of the DGA to decide if their new deal with the studios and networks is acceptable, but whatever they decide, their decision will not determine what will be satisfactory for the leadership and membership of Screen Actors Guild.  Each guild must act in the best interest of its own membership, including rejecting management-imposed “pattern bargaining.”

In solidarity,            

Alan Rosenberg                      Doug Allen                                 
President                               National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator

More news on the strike

'The Wire': React quotes, Vol. 1

As we take a breather before Sunday's episode, I thought I'd take a moment to respond to some reader mail received here at Showtracker Plaza. As always, feel free to send any comments via email or the handy-dandy "comments" link below -- we welcome any and all thoughts, feedback, screeds and diatribes.

Let's get this party started. First, a sampling of concerns about Sunday's post:

Thanks to you and your editor for making sure that anyone just glancing at the entertainment page today would be sure to find out about the killing of a major character on a highly acclaimed show. Thanks for ASSUMING  that anyone who is interested in watching the show ALREADY SAW IT. . . Some of us are too busy to build our schedules around watching a show the first minute it's available. Thanks for your consideration. -- Charles Webb

But wait, there's more:

Gah! I was scanning over the site today and I stumbled across the promo for your latest "Wire" post, in which I happened to learn right away that something bad happens involving Proposition Joe. Something involving a gun and Chris? Or Marlo? I tried to look away as quickly as I could, but I feel like the damage has already been inflicted. -- Patrick Day, fellow Times employee and "Wire" fanatic

Dear Charles and Patrick (and all the rest): First of all, I apologize. While I have no regrets about leading a Showtracker post with what was, naturally, the biggest news out of the episode, the way it was promoted on the Entertainment page was a definite spoiler with a capital "S." While that wasn't my decision and the team regrets any hard feelings, I must caution you that the Internet is a very, very treacherous place when dealing with the aftermath of serialized programming such as "The Wire," "Lost" and even "American Idol." The story has advanced, and those who still cling to what's become a relatively archaic standard of "appointment TV" generally want to discuss or read about an episode shortly after it's aired.

We'll definitely do our part to keep the "common areas" of the site free from specifics from now on, but by the same token when you've got an episode simmering in your TiVo (or, however improbably, your VCR), it might be safest to be exceedingly selective with your Web browsing. Entertainment and TV-related sites are fraught with peril, and it might be best to just stay away until you've caught up, as harsh as that may sound. When I missed an episode of "Lost" last year I did everything short of throwing a bucket over my head and hitting it with a wooden spoon whenever I logged on -- you just never know where this news is going to be discussed. While that may be extreme, the Internet is an unforgiving place for those who fall behind. We'll do our part moving forward -- just be careful out there as well.

Elsewhere, a question looking for a bit of background:

Tnx very much for today's column re "The Wire." We just started watching this year, and it's very difficult for us to understand what is going on. Your column helps. One thing we can't understand is what is happening vis a vis the Greeks. Much money is being brought to them in a briefcase -- looks like a great deal of money -- but they don't want it and try to send it back. Why? What is expected of them in return for this money? If you could let us know by Reply email or include it in your next column we will be grateful to you.-- Barbara and Ethan

First, kudos to you both for jumping on "The Wire" bandwagon late. As much as I love the show, it's not particularly forgiving to those who haven't been there from the beginning, so what you guys are trying to do is commendable. But even then, some of the interplay between the characters can be really subtle. For instance, in the case of the Greek (who, in another fun twist, isn't even Greek), Marlo presented Vondas with the briefcase of dough as "a gift" -- or, more specifically, a big sum of money to declare his intentions to buy his way into being their new point-person for drug distribution in Baltimore. Marlo wanted to be -- and now is -- the new Prop Joe for the Greeks.

Now, here's where I'm even a bit fuzzy. As you guys pointed out, Vondas repeatedly tried giving the money back, which from what I gather was a test of Marlo's resolve on really wanting to do business with them. While Vondas seemed perfectly content to continue to do business with Prop Joe as they had for years, something about Marlo changed the Greek's mind at the diner. Was it just that he kept coming back? Is that really all it takes it to just be a pest? Even what Marlo saw as approval for him to kill Prop Joe -- the acknowledgment that there was a viable need for "insurance" on Marlo's investment -- was cloaked in very nonspecific language. Given how security-obsessed every criminal figure in "The Wire's" world is, this shouldn't be a surprise. But was anyone else a little mystified initially that the Greek had, in fact, given Marlo an endorsement to move ahead with his plan to squeeze out Prop Joe?

More of this to come as the need arises. In the meantime, keep listening.

-- Chris Barton

'Lost': 48 pending questions

After eight months of waiting -- nearly twice the length of time the survivors of oceanic Flight 815 have been marooned on that darn island -- "Lost" will finally, finally, finally return to TV on Thursday night. Actually, for the hard core out there, it returns Wednesday night with a rerun of May's game-changing season finale. If you're reading this, then I'm sure you've already seen it, either on TV or on DVD, but that shouldn't stop you from watching it again.

In fact, you owe it to yourself to see it again. Because "Lost" is the kind of show that rewards the obsessive tracking of bits of dialogue, the careful scrutiny of prop details and the kind of endless speculation that would cause a lesser show to quickly disintegrate beneath the weight of expectations.

So to help ease your transition back into the feverish world of flashback parsing and narrative puzzle-solving, we've assembled a list of 48 unanswered questions we hope -- no, DEMAND -- will be answered in the series' 48 remaining episodes.

DGA board unanimously OKs labor pact

The board of directors of the Directors Guild of America has voted unanimously to recommend ratification of a deal with Hollywood studios. The DGA will now present the proposal to its full membership.

More news on the strike

'Breaking Bad': Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum

Skyler White, meet Jesse Pinkman … 

GENERAL INTERESTS:
Fine herbage! Keepin’ it real, Jui Ryo Ki Kung-Fu (blue belt with shuriken certification). Banging the skins with my smoking band … European motocross (plan to attend Wheelie School in Vegas this summer).

EDUCATION:
J.P. Wynne High School, DeVry University data systems management… The STREETS, YO!

… your husband’s new business partner.

Whereas Jesse was first introduced to us last week when he stumbled naked out of a second-story bedroom window (the naked part seems to be the de facto entrance around here), Skyler had the pleasure of making his acquaintance this week. After overhearing a suspicious telemarketing call fielded by her husband, she pulled the ol’ *69 trick on her cordless and got the following voicemail: “Yo, yo, yo! 1-4-8, 3 to the 3 to the 6 to the 9! Representin’ the ABQ! What up … Leave it at the tone!”

Yeah, awkward. So she further investigated online and found Jesse’s MySpace -– er, “MyShout” –- page, which revealed the details mentioned above. Classic, yo.

Indeed, all things Jesse tickled the tummy Sunday night, especially the early scene in which the Indian comes to the rescue of Walter and Jesse in the New Mexico desert, pulling their RV out of that roadside ditch (an aside: With bulldozer-equipped Indians apparently roaming the middle of nowhere, who needs Roadside Assistance?). Job complete, the silent Indian stands there before our two fidgety heroes, Walter not wearing any pants and Jesse sporting an eye that’s swollen shut.

'The Wire': Requiem for a Proposition

Say it ain't so, Prop Joe.

In the annals of unexpected deaths in "Wire"-ana, Prop Joe's execution Sunday night ranks somewhere behind Stringer Bell being gunned down by Omar and somewhere above Stringer ordering a jailhouse hit on Avon Barksdale's nephew. Still, Prop Joe's single-shot killing at the hands of Chris while an eerily reptilian Marlo talked Prop Joe through his demise ranks as among the series' most memorable deaths, if for no other reason than how unpleasantly intimate it seemed. "Relax, breathe easy," Marlo said gently, and Joe closed his eyes as Chris raised a muzzle behind him. Brrrr. Never one to play the son role, indeed.

But for those out there feeling a little misty-eyed about Prop Joe's betrayal at the hands of his nephew  (what is it with nephews in this show?), I'd argue the professorial crime boss was dead long before the trigger was pulled. Joe built the New Day Co-Op with his bare hands, uniting Baltimore's disparate equivalent of the Five Families in the hopes of minimizing casualties and maximizing profit, all noble goals consistent with the character's pragmatic nature. But Marlo had been tearing it down since he reluctantly came on board, and the most Prop Joe could say was some mumbled, soft-pedaled advice to learn how to work with people? Really, that's as stern as the guy with his hand on the tap for Baltimore's drug supply can get?

But I'll miss Prop Joe's kind criminal heart the rest of the way, the sort of heart that had the presence to write "Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil" on Butchie's funeral wreath -- a neat summation of much of the season. Marlo, Cheese and the surviving figures on Baltimore's streets won't be nearly as thoughtful -- but perhaps that's why they're still alive.

At least for now because, after all, Hurricane Omar has touched down, and there's no Prop Joe around anymore to keep things from spiraling completely out of control. Marlo may have sucked all the knowledge and legal advice out of Joe's head before taking him out, but whether it's made him smart enough to hold off Omar and his sawed-off friend remains to be seen. Let's hope not.

Meanwhile, McNulty and Lester began the ghoulish business of hunting for a new victim for McNulty's serial killer (and it's going to remain McNulty's until Lester starts choking a dead man). I have to say, Jimmy's mercurial accomplice may just get him through this ridiculous stunt without being garroted in the public square by Episode 10. OK, not likely, but at least he's keeping McNulty honest by convincing him to put in the fake-legwork along a madness-ridden underpass straight out of the Fisher King. Plus you have to admit, working a pair of falsies for some bite marks on the latest victim is going to grab some headlines, but for all of Lester's help isn't it a little sad to see McNulty giddily citing his serial killer to get him out of a confrontation with Beadie? Listerine's not covering up the scent of this one, Jimmy.

Elsewhere in Baltimore, Daniels has settled into his new role as police commissioner heir apparent, but not before dodging the bullet from Burrell revealing the secrets from his past -- something about drug money and the Eastern District -- and all it took was a six-figure pat-on-the-back gig in Washington from Carcetti's people to keep him quiet. Isn't politics magical? And at the Sun -- or rather, at the Post -- it seems noted fabulist-in-training Scott Templeton will be plying his wares in Baltimore for a little longer. Seems his clips weren't quite strong enough to play with the big boys in Washington. Keep your eyes on the papers, everyone.

-- Chris Barton

(Photo courtesy HBO)

No glory in 'Friday Night Lights' job

Would you a buy new car from Jason Street?

I would. But then, I was almost weeping for that character last night, watching him pull on that suit to go sell cars at Buddy Garrity’s dealership. Pity not Street, I know, for his physical condition; it was more the sight of him trying to close customers that stirred the cockles of my heart. For it had come to this: A star quarterback riding high on his abilities reduced to selling glory through the purchase of a Chevy Malibu.

Even Street’s pal Herc called him Willie Loman. Maybe it was all a little over the top, but pathos, Panther fans, doesn’t come much richer on “Friday Night Lights.”

Elsewhere — and at the risk of a harsh segue — Lila’s new Christian boyfriend is so not hot. Or put another way, the dude can’t weather the extreme FNL close-up with the grace and beauty of our fair wastrel Tim Riggins.

Riggins' declaration of love last night to Lila, however, didn’t play, even though he lit candles and made a chicken dish. The whole sequence felt kind of rushed; in football parlance, it was a pass on third and long that fell short.

Because where did it leave Riggins? Once again standing in that cruel Dillon night, brooding like a poster of himself.

Maybe it’s time Riggins and seemingly 27-year-old Tyra got back together. They were reunited in volleyball practice anyway, Tyra conned into joining the team by new coach Tami Taylor. Riggins, for some reason, is the team’s ball boy, and Tyra found her anger mojo by spiking balls at his head.

I can think of worse ideas for foreplay, Panthers fans. Speaking of which, Landry seems to have met his match in the new nerd-i-licious girl in his physics class. What a long strange trip it’s been for our boy Landry this season: He killed Tyra's stalker and got the hottie girl of his dreams in the bargain, then confessed to the deed (of the killing), but was given immunity.

Then he lost Tyra.

It’s amazing Landry’s kept his appetite, much less his sense of humor. And who knows, maybe he’ll have to fill in as an emergency running back for the Panthers, now that Smash has been suspended for the rest of the season for coming to his baby sister’s rescue and hitting that boy in the movie theater.

Here was a storyline that played out well: Smash didn’t do anything wrong, really, except (he thought) issue an apology for the incident that he knew to be false. Then he unburdened himself only to land into more trouble.

Smash was betrayed by his ego, but also by his honesty. A great scene at the end of the episode showed this: Smash and his mother and Coach Taylor sitting in the Williams' living room, the boy bewildered by the news of his suspension, and the adults crestfallen.

By the way, what was that song they were playing?

Paul Brownfield

(Photo courtesy NBC.com)

Below-the-line picket at SAG awards canceled

A threat by a group of below-the-line Hollywood crew members to picket Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles to protest the ongoing writers strike has been called off. In an e-mail sent to other crew members, set decorator Mel Cooper, who had called for the rally, said the picketing was canceled “due to the positive motion of the talks” now that negotiators for the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are back at the bargaining table.

Thousands of people who work behind the scenes in movies and television, including vendors, have been adversely affected by the strike, which is now in its 12th week. Organizers had been hoping to picket the Shrine just as celebrities begin arriving in their limousines Sunday afternoon to gain maximum media exposure for their protest. Cooper said that if the current talks aimed at resolving the strike break down, they will plan another rally to highlight the financial impact the strike is having on their lives.

-- Robert W. Welkos

'Ugly Betty': Happy endings (for now)

That wasn't what we were expecting!

ABC teased last night's season-ending episode of "Ugly Betty" with carefully edited commercials hyping a showdown of sorts between Henry and Gio. It looked like things were going to get ugly, that Betty would have to choose, that there would be a winner and a loser.

And well, there was a showdown. But not over Betty. Instead, Henry and Gio went head-to-head in a competition over who could charm the most phone numbers out of bar-going women ... by being the biggest jerk. Not exactly what was teased, but more on that in a bit ...

Still, the episode was not intended to be "Ugly Betty's" last. (Just ask exec producer Silvio Horta, who says that, because of the strike, several story lines are now in limbo, as well as a planned musical episode.) And instead of a serial-making cliffhanger, last night's ending left characters in various states of bliss (however temporary they will ultimately be).

Marvel deal: Even superheroes sign up

Marvel Studios has signed an interim deal with the striking Writers Guild of America, the union said.

The move follows recent separate guild pacts with other independent production companies such as Lionsgate, United Artists, the Weinstein Co. and David Letterman's Worldwide Pants.

Marvel Studios is launching its own film brand with the upcoming "Iron Man" (opening May 2 and distributed by Paramount Pictures) and "The Incredible Hulk," which opens June 13.

-- Jevon Phillips

'American Idol': Behind the curtain

Note: This post is appearing here because "American Idol" Show Tracker Richard Rushfield is in Park City, Utah, covering the Sundance Film Festival. He'll return next week. In the interim, Mr. Rushfield has asked me to chronicle the second week of "Idol" Season 7. It should be noted that I am a music journalist who, prior to 2008, had refused to watch the contest. My long-held refusal to tune in to "Idol," said Rushfield, is the precise reason why I was drafted. After this week, I'll be back to my regular, non-"Idol" duties.

"American Idol" concluded its sixth hour in two weeks on Wednesday night, and of those 360 minutes, only a small fraction were devoted to actual music.

That may seem odd, seeing as how "Idol" is out to find our next pop star and all. But this is not a show about music. In fact, in these early Season 7 episodes, "Idol" has done little, if anything, to actually celebrate or promote pop music. Simon even went so far as to tell "Idol" lovebirds Randy Stark and Crystal Ortiz, a couple who met on the "Idol" message boards (hey guys!), to essentially not even sing for their families.

A dose of truth for the delusional, perhaps, but for a show about music, "Idol" has an amazing ability to shatter dreams, and to make one feel stupid for ever trying to sing in the first place. A lifetime passion? Destroyed in about 20 seconds -- 20 seconds in which technique (the ability to hold a note and carry a tune) is held in higher regard than passion and personality.

Oh, I want to believe you Jeffery Lampkin. Jeffery performed with his sister Michelle on Wednesday's Charleston, S.C., auditions, and had an energy that would make Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo proud (as well as a waistline). "Anybody can sing, but you have to have the ‘ow’ factor," he said. Not sure if the family act he has with his sister is going to work (OK, it isn't), but as far as a singer with an "ow" factor, Jeffery is the closest there's been in Season 7.

That's why it's surprising the pair were actually voted on to Hollywood. For there were two moments in Wednesday's episode -- admittedly, the most entertaining "Idol" episode this season -- that did a fine job of capturing the way the pop-star-making end of the music industry actually works.

1. Sixteen year-old singer Amy Catherine Flynn (pictured), or, in her words, "AC, whatevs." There was only one way she was not going to make it to the Hollywood round, and that was to botch Christina Aguilera's "Reflection" so horribly that to pass on her would have required Fox's intervention. The girl is the captain of her dance team at Knoxville Catholic High School in Tennessee.

So: Catholic high school dance team captain + decent signing voice = golden ticket into the music industry. Sorry, but anyone who disagrees hasn't been paying attention to pop music. Plus, she preaches abstinence. That'll be downright adorable in Hollywood.

Ah, but one couldn't help but feel a little worried for her. There was a horrifying moment from the 2006 South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas, that popped back into my mind (try as I might, I haven't been able to forget it), and it made me wish that Amy Catherine had not been granted a trip out West.

Jeff Fenster, the A&R executive who signed one Britney Spears, told a roomful of people that the soon-to-be pop star scored a record deal simply because "she looked like the sweet, all-American girl that you just wanted to defile and do bad things to."

Now, that is most certainly not why the trio of "Idol" judges sent Amy Catherine to Hollywood, but it's safe to say those in the music business are not the kind of folk you want to introduce your teenage daughters to, and Amy Catherine is the kind of wannabe-artist that the industry can't resist.

2. DeAnna Prevatte, or "little tiger," as Simon called her.

She sang "Fancy," a song popularized by Reba McEntire, and, apparently, was also sung by Season 5 "Idol" contestant Kellie Pickler. Prevatte belted and wailed the tune, dropping to her knees and shouting it across the room to the judges. With a bluesy rock band behind her, Prevatte probably would have sounded alright.

But it's ballads "Idol" will be wanting this season (every season?), and the judges were clearly taken aback by Prevatte's strong personality. "A bit angry," Simon said of her performance. "It's an angry song," Prevatte calmly replied.

She also corrected Simon on the pronunciation of her name, and ranted against poor tippers at the restaurant she waitressed at. Yet she was one of the few "Idol" auditioners we've seen with a little fire, and that's probably what doomed her.

This isn't a contest for those who are going to be talking back and reinterpreting songs and going their own direction. Just look at the brouhaha that happened with Kelly Clarkson's album last summer.

Also of note: Oliver Highman, who came off as a pretty solid wedding singer, had to have his audition delayed because his wife went into labor. After being rejected by the trio of judges, he asked if he could show the panel his newborn.

Because one can't turn down an invitation to see a baby when cameras are rolling, Highman brought out his daughter for some show-and-tell. As the Highman family walked off, Simon said: "We'll be seeing her in 15 years."

Am I the only one who heard that as a threat?

--Todd Martens

(Photo courtesy www.myspace.com/amycatherineflynnfans)

Lionsgate poised to sign interim writers pact

Jumping on the bandwagon with other independent production companies, Lionsgate is on the verge of signing an interim agreement with the Writers Guild of America that is expected to be finalized in the next two days.

Based in Santa Monica, the publicly held entertainment outfit is behind such movie hits as the 2006 Oscar winner “Crash” and the “Saw” horror franchise, as well as the popular TV series “Mad Men” on AMC and “Weeds” on Showtime.

People close to the matter said Lionsgate was motivated to sign an interim deal to get rolling on its current TV shows, which also include the new NBC series “Fear Itself” and a planned small-screen version of “Crash" for Starz Encore.

If the deal concludes as expected, Lionsgate would join other independent companies that have recently signed agreements with the guild, including United Artists, the Weinstein Co., Spyglass Entertainment and David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants Inc.

Such deals, however, would be supplanted by any new contract that the writers sign with the studios. Talks between the parties resumed this week, raising hopes that an end to the 12-week-old strike is within sight.

The Writers Guild has hired entertainment attorney Alan Wertheimer to advise the union in its negotiations. Wertheimer, who helped negotiate the Worldwide Pants deal, represents screenwriters such as Eric Roth ("Munich") and guild board member Tom Schulman ("Dead Poets Society").

More news on the strike

-- Claudia Eller and Richard Verrier

'American Idol': A desperate show for a desperate industry

Note: "American Idol's" Show Tracker, Richard Rushfield, is in Park City, Utah, covering the Sundance Film Festival. He'll return next week. In the interim, Mr. Rushfield has asked me to chronicle the second week of "Idol" Season 7. It should be noted that I am a music journalist who, prior to 2008, had refused to watch the contest. My long-held refusal to tune in to "Idol," said Rushfield, is the precise reason why I was drafted.

Not even two weeks in, and "American Idol's" seventh season reeks of desperation. This sense of dread was in the air before Fox showed us the "12,000 hopefuls" who poured into San Diego for Audition Episode No. 3, many of them, it turns out, having already been rejected by the music industry.

Indeed, the episode ended with one Carly Hennessy, the widely reported former major-label bust once signed to MCA Records (as of 10:44 p.m. on Jan. 22 that link to MCA's long out-of-date Web page for Hennessy works, but in case it fails you, there's also Amazon). As far as the seventh season of "Idol" is concerned, she's Carly Smithson, back on the show after being disqualified in Season 5 due to visa issues.

Her performance of "I'm Every Woman" was met with mostly resounding approval from the judges (Simon was predictably catty), but Paula said, "That's what we wanted to hear," waving her hands in the air. Perhaps it is, if what impresses you is a pretty but largely forgettable singing voice, and the ability to stretch the word "me" to four seconds.

Hennessy's prior record biz journeys have inspired plenty of online debating as to whether or not "Idol" should welcome those with experience. I say sure, why discriminate against talent?

But who can blame the producers for wanting to secure some kids with the proven ability to carry a note? So bring on the innocently bland teenager David Archuleta, who I'm told was a former "Star Search" winner, and who probably does a fine take on the National Anthem at minor league baseball games.

For now, with a writers strike wreaking havoc on TV schedules and the music industry struggling to sell CDs, "American Idol" needs something proven. And lest we forget, Taylor Hicks has already been dropped from his record label, gone the way of Ruben Studdard. And oh, Jordin Sparks recently debuted at No. 10 in the pop charts with what was the lowest first-week sales total by an "Idol" winner ever, according to Billboard.

So perhaps this isn't the best time to mention that "Idol's" ratings last week were its lowest premiere figures since 2004? Yes, there was a sense of desperation in the air Tuesday night, and not because we got to see Blake Boshnack audition -- and fail -- for the 11th time. Wonder, is it perhaps better to spend your entire life chasing a dream that's unreachable or is it best to move on at some point?

We can ponder while we await Boshnack's appearance next year. So yes, "American Idol" needs a hit, and a hit in "Idol's" world doesn't mean selling 700,000 CDs, as Hicks did, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That kind of number would be considered an unqualified success for many of today's artists, but "Idol" isn't in the business of selling art -- it's about creating the kind of CD cover that looks good on the shelves at electronic stores.

It may also be nice if this ‘hit’ comes from someone who actually wins. The biggest star “Idol” has produced in the past few years is Chris Daughtry, a top-5 finisher in season 5. As the season progresses, the tension will decrease -- and, in turn, “Idol’s” pop-culture mystique -- if the market continues to get flooded with every near-winner.

Really, there's nothing unexpected in "Idol" presenting us with artists who have already had some forays into the music business. It's wrong to single out Hennessy, or Michael Lee, who was in a heretofore unknown band called the Rising that recorded for Maverick Records. After all, all these contestants -- amateur or not -- are still handpicked by Fox-approved judges.

Regardless, it probably doesn't bode well that the best singing -- the only singing with any sort of personality -- came courtesy of the Ramones' take on "California Sun," which played in the opening scenes. Ah, what clever sort of metaphor could Simon have used to shoot down Joey Ramone with?

-- Todd Martens

(Photo courtesy www.americanidol.com)

WGA, producers issue joint statement on talks

Joint statement from the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers:

On Wednesday, January 23rd the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will begin informal discussions to determine if there is a basis for both parties to return to formal negotiations. Both the AMPTP and the WGA have agreed to make no public comments about the informal discussions until those discussions have concluded.

More news on the strike

WGA members told of new talks, Grammy waiver

Sent to the WGA membership today by their leaders:

To Our Fellow Members,

We have responded favorably to the invitation from the AMPTP to enter into informal talks that will help establish a reasonable basis for returning to negotiations. During this period we have agreed to a complete news blackout. We are grateful for this opportunity to engage in meaningful discussion with industry leaders that we hope will lead to a contract. We ask that all members exercise restraint in their public statements during this critical period.

In order to make absolutely clear our commitment to bringing a speedy conclusion to negotiations we have decided to withdraw our proposals on reality and animation. Our organizing efforts to achieve Guild representation in these genres for writers will continue. You will hear more about this in the next two weeks.

On another issue, the Writers Guild, West Board of Directors has voted not to picket the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Members of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) face many of the same issues concerning compensation in new media that we do. In the interest of advancing  our goal of achieving a fair contract, the WGAW Board felt that this gesture should be made on behalf of our brothers and sisters in AFM and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA).

Best,

Michael Winship
President
Writers Guild of America, East

Patric M. Verrone
President
Writers Guild of America, West

More news on the strike

Grammy nominees won't have to cross picket line

The 50th annual Grammy Awards will not have a picket line waiting for the limos.

The board of directors of the Writers Guild of America West said Tuesday it had voted not to publicly protest the music industry’s annual awards show, scheduled for Feb. 10 at Staples Center in downtown L.A.

In the days after the Golden Globes telecast collapsed this month, when the Screen Actors Guild said it would advise its members not to cross a writers’ picket line, the producers of the Grammys launched a very public campaign to distance “music’s biggest night” from the divisive issues that are at the center of the 11-week WGA strike.

The Grammy producers had requested an interim contract to allow their show to go forward, but WGA spokesman Gregg Mitchell said Tuesday that no agreement has “yet been reached.” The announced decision to forgo picketing, however, suggests that a deal may be forthcoming.

The decision takes considerable pressure off producers who are trying to book the performers on the CBS show as well as nominees such as Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé and Queen Latifah, who also have memberships in the Screen Actors Guild.

More news on the strike

Geoff Boucher

WGA to the Grammys: Let's rock 'n' roll!

The Writers Guild of America, West, will not picket the Grammys, as some had feared. That paves the way for the award show to go forward as planned -- with plenty of star power in attendance. Stay tuned for details.

More news on the strike

SAG negotiator says any kind of rush is premature

Screen Actors Guild of America Chief Negotiator Doug Allen on Monday downplayed expectations that a proposed contract negotiated by directors would hold sway with actors.

"Each guild must act in the best interests of its own membership," Allen said in a statement. "The rush to anoint this agreement as the 'solution' for this industry is premature."

Allen said he was reserving judgment until he received more specific details of the directors contract that was announced last week. "Much of it is simply unknown,'' he added.

The remarks come a day before Hollywood's striking writers are set to resume talks with major studios, which are hoping to use their contract with the directors as the basis for deals with the writers and actors, whose contract expires June 30.

Directors achieved a doubling of the current residual rate for downloads of TV shows and movies and established payments for advertising-supported streaming.

Still, critics, including board members of SAG, say the agreement gives studios too big a promotional window for streaming movies and TV programs, and exempts too many original Web shows from union coverage.

-- Richard Verrier

More news on the strike

'Breaking Bad': A study of change

This is what we learned on Sunday night: A man wearing nothing but his underpants and a gas mask can actually be taken seriously. For this feat alone, perhaps it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine Bryan Cranston around this time next year, in a tux instead of tighty-whities and holding a Golden Globe instead of a gun.

Sure, this is crazy talk -– next year’s awards after just one episode and not even a month yet flipped off the 2008 calendar -– but then again, “Breaking Bad” wasted no time in getting a little crazy itself. The pilot’s opening featured Cranston at the shaky wheel of a speeding RV, his middle-aged gut hanging over those undies and his face hidden beneath that mask. As the vehicle swerved, so did a couple of lifeless bodies along the floor behind him.

And this is where you may have rolled your eyes.

And this is where Cranston lost control, crashing the vehicle alongside a desert road and spilling out of it. Thankfully for us, he managed here to ditch the mask and pull on a shirt.

“My name is Walter White,” he then told a handheld video camera outside the RV. “ … To all law enforcement entities, this is not an admission of guilt. I am speaking to my family now. Skyler, you are the love of my life, I hope you know that. Walter Jr., you’re my big man. There are going to be some things, things that you’ll come to learn about me in the next few days. I just want you to know that no matter how it may look, I only had you in my heart. Goodbye.”

Our seemingly doomed new friend then walked to the middle of the road and pointed a gun toward the sound of approaching sirens.

Cut to the opening title credit and then a “Three weeks earlier … ” subtitle. Bada bing, bada boom.

'The Wire': Opportunities beyond the Sun

Well, so much for Lester being the level-headed one.

In the wake of McNulty pulling a nutty last week, much of last night's episode followed the many difficulties involved in fabricating a serial killer. Who knew? Oily and sleepless, McNulty started building his case by piecing together details from stacks of old files, but after inspiring only indifference from his co-workers and B-section coverage in the morning paper McNulty needed an accomplice to bring his imaginary friend to life. Someone with an eye for detail.

Enter Lester. Always the dignified conscience of Major Crimes, his awestruck initial reaction to McNulty's plan gave Bunk some hope of gaining an ally in putting a stop to all this, but the horrified look that fell over his face as Lester started offering suggestions was priceless. Nice try, Bunk. Lester wants the manpower to catch Marlo by any means necessary, even going so far as to suggest the killer needs a name to really capture the "hearts and minds." How about the Ribbonist? The Giftwrapper? Suggestions welcome!

Speaking of selling papers, I'm still on the fence with the goings-on at "The Sun." The rumpled Snidely Whiplashes of the Chicago-owned newsroom announced "The Tribune" is up to its old "tricks" -- meaning layoffs, buyouts and bureau closures. Advertising is down, the Internet is still free, and it all makes Executive Editor Whiting wander around repeating "we have to do more with less" like some blissed-out accounting cyborg. His trusty managing editor and hatchet man swears to Gus he's just sick about having to cut jobs, but come on, Klebanow, man up. What's the worst that could happen?

Naturally, this means the paper is losing another hero in buyout-bound police reporter Roger Twigg, a crusty veteran reporter who just might be a broad sketch of David Simon himself (he did, after all, say he was leaving to write the Great American Novel). When word comes down that Daniels is being floated as the new police commissioner, Twigg has just enough facts at the ready to seem somewhere between brilliant and mystical. And contrasting that with Templeton's out-and-out invention of a reaction quote a short time later just smacks of overkill, especially in showing the inevitable fallout on Daniels' end.

Simon obviously shares all the passion of Gus and Twigg, who at one point reverently recount how they got in the newspaper game, but the impact of that passion is cut by the inescapable feeling that they're both less characters than they are ideals. Inspiring stuff, sure, but characters -- and the rest of "The Wire" cast -- are a lot more complicated, and in turn a lot more interesting to watch.

Meanwhile, out on the ever-complicated streets, you almost have to feel bad for wise ol' Prop Joe. All this time he's "civilizing" Marlo in the ways of money laundering (in the figurative and literal sense), and his ambitious little protege is going behind his back and leaving freshly pressed bundles of cash for the Greek. But that wasn't the biggest development -- Omar's coming back. Or at least it sure looks that way once he heard that Chris and Snoop tortured and killed poor blind Butchie, his only friend back in Baltimore. Beachside hideaway or not, Omar is nothing if not possessed of a spaghetti western's sense of vengeance. Marlo's crew will be ready, but Omar is Omar. Who do you like in that match-up?

-- Chris Barton

(Photo courtesy HBO)

Diplomacy in Dillon

Panther fans, are you familiar with the term realpolitik?

I’m no poli-sci expert, but realpolitik (and Wikipedia backs me up on this) refers to the art of diplomacy and doing politics based on desired outcomes as opposed to things like ethics and core values.

In world affairs, realpolitik means you sometimes do business with the bad guys, and on “Friday Night Lights,” it meant Smash’s mother stared racism in the face and, instead of getting her back up, backed down in the interest of unhinging her son from the gold-digging white girlfriend hoping to ride his coattails into life as a pro football wife.

Yes, it was a little shocking when the gold-digging girlfriend’s parents invited the Smashes for dinner, only to announce that they didn’t think Dillon was any place for interracial relationships. So much for dessert and coffee.

You expected Mrs. Smash to get indignant, but only Smash did; his mother pursed her lips, softened and quietly agreed that the two kids should break up.

Well-played, Mrs. Smash. You sensed an opportunity to free your son from this too-smooth little tart on his arm and took it; Henry Kissinger himself would approve.

Smash, however, was less sanguine and later used his baby sister to sneak a make-out assignation with his girl at the multiplex, only to have his sister get harassed by one of the white boys in the house.

“You got one of ours, why shouldn’t we get one of yours? Know what I mean?” the white boy taunted Smash in a Dillon suddenly revealed as a small-minded place.

FNL was all about the socio-economic/racial politics of the town Friday night; it was as if the writers woke up from their Riggins-induced fog and realized they’d forgotten their show was also supposed to be about the makeup of this Texas town.

So they overloaded the episode with echoing B-stories about class, race, religion. Good ol’ Buddy Garrity invited his boarder Santiago to have his friends over, only to remove his valuables from his home, worried that Santiago’s ex-homies would steal from him (Buddy later put the stuff back, caving into his softer side).

Saracen’s Guatemalan girlfriend announced she was returning home to her family — because what chance their love in gringo Dillon? — while Lila gave sex-advice to people calling in to a Christian radio show, only to engage in some flirting herself with the show’s host, which ended in a kiss.

I’ve lost track of that whole realpolitik motif, but I think when you kiss the boy counseling God over sex without love you’re straying into dangerous diplomatic waters. Or, to put it another way,