Thursday, December 3, 2009

NEWS: Porizkova, Alexander/Bowler, Comcast, Gross

NBC-Comcast: A TV Deal for the Post-TV Era
In the short term, the deal may not mean much; probably not even that much in the medium term. (For starters, the deal faces an approval process which could take a year.) In the longer term, it says a few things about what the TV business is becoming, and what "TV" will mean in the future.

Comcast Could Drop the NBC Name
Eventually, the name NBC, short for the National Broadcasting Company, could go the way of history. Given both companies’ emphasis on cable channels, a name like Comcast Entertainment may make more sense in the long term.

TRUE BLOOD casts vampire, werewolf
Theo Alexander and Grant Bowler have landed recurring roles on Alan Ball's vampire drama. Alexander will play Talbot, an "intensely beautiful" vampire, the boyfriend of Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare), the vampire king of Mississippi. Bowler will play Coot, a werewolf, the menacing ringleader of a biker gang.

INTERVIEW: ATWT guest star Paulina Porizkova (Clarissa)
"I’d never watched soaps or thought about being on them. Now, after doing ATWT, I’m hooked on all of them. I’m a complete addict!"

Jesse McCartney helps City of Hope cancer center
McCartney plans to continue fund-raising for City of Hope, which is in the final construction stages of a new facility, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Cancer Immunotherapeutics and Tumor Immunology, opening in early 2010.

YouTube deal allows Five viewers to see it again
Soap opera fans will be able to watch some of their favorite programs on YouTube after Five became the second broadcaster to upload its full-length programming to the website. Five has signed a three-year deal with the internet broadcaster to allow viewers to catch up on its Australian soaps and British programming for 30 days after transmission.

Meredith Baxter's FAMILY TIES husband knew she was a lesbian for years
"I'm just thrilled this has happened because now my wife and I don't have to hide this from everybody we know," says Michael Gross.

4 comments:

  1. Drop NBC for Comcast? That seems incredibly stupid. NBC has a stronger more recognizable brand. Given the hatred many cable consumers have for the Comcast cable, Comcast would be foolish to kill such a recognizable brand with a 70 year history. That would be akin to the disaster that befell Time-Warner when AOL bought it and renamed the company.

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  2. I totally agree with you. It seems like whenever I hear someone talking about Comcast it is a complaint. NBC hasn't been hugely successful in primetime in a while but it's still a much better brand. Plus, I'm a traditionalist and don't want the old school broadcast networks renamed!

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  3. I agree if they drop the NBC brand name they'll be losing whats recognizable and we all know how hard it is for people to get used to change.

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  4. Woah, it was very educational reading the Comcast/NBC articles. This really is an interesting and changing time in entertainment. Personally, everytime someone says the word "Comcast" I'm prone to respond that "I hate Comcast" from a bad experience at an apartment in Pittsburgh. Currently, I'm happy with my local Butler, PA Armstrong, cable and Internet.

    I also really enjoyed reading the Porizkova interview. I think that it encapsulated better than I've ever heard what it's like to be thrown into a soap opera, no matter "who" or "what" you are.

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