What Oprah leaving daytime TV means for Pittsburgh stations

Not much. That's the short answer.

Wrote this for today's paper but it did not appear for some reason, so here it is:

Oprah Winfrey's show drives viewers to early evening newscasts in many TV markets, but in recent years the show has routinely placed third in overall ratings in its 4 p.m. weekday time slot on Pittsburgh's WTAE behind news on KDKA-TV and "Judge Judy" on WPXI.

Last month, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" perked up to second place in household ratings, and it routinely ranks No. 2 among the younger viewers prized by advertisers and No. 1 among women ages 25-54. WTAE's 5 p.m. newscast has generally ranked second to KDKA in household ratings in recent sweeps periods, so there's not as much of an "Oprah" boost in Pittsburgh as in some other markets.

The end of Channel 4's contract to carry "The Oprah Winfrey Show" would allow the station to add another hour of news at 4 p.m. A station spokeswoman said no decision has been made about how the time slot will be filled.

Fake celebs on social media sites

This summer I wrote about social media sites and made note of several celebrities I talked to at press tour who said they were not on Facebook or Twitter at that time. But people posting under their names were on these sites.

This week a friend pointed out a fake that's particularly funny: A faux Andy Rooney, confirmed as fake by CBS, on Twitter.

Some of his tweets are just parodies of things you could imagine Rooney saying ("The fragrance industry rakes in billions of dollars every year, but none of them smell any good at all.") but the funniest/cruelest ones are Fake Andy's denunciations of the late Don Hewitt, creator of "60 Minutes."

"Don Hewitt intimidated his subordinates and cowered before his superiors. He was a petty man who got where he was through sheer luck," Fake Andy tweeted on Aug. 19, just before adding, "Miss you, Don."

Hilarious and awful at the same time. But mostly funny. Kudos to the clever/evil person responsible for Fake Andy Rooney.

Discovery brings back 'boom-de-ah-da'

A couple years ago, Discovery Channel introduced a winning image spot called "Boom-d-ah-da."

Now the networks has revived it, using the same song and setting it to different images:

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I received an e-mail from Joe Kwaczala, a former North Allegheny student who says I quoted him in a Keep or Cancel? poll column a few years back. He's competing in a Chicago sketch video contest that's taking place online. If you are so inclined, you can vote for his video, No. 11 "Clue," at the MetroMix Web site.

Fox characters give thanks

Fox sent out this release with characters from its shows talking about what they give thanks for. These lines were generated by writers on the assorted series.

Here's what they had to say:

THE SIMPSONS airs Sundays (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT):

• Homer Simpson - "I am truly thankful there are now THREE football games on Thanksgiving, so I can spend even less time talking to my in-laws."

THE CLEVELAND SHOW airs Sundays (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT):

• Cleveland Brown - "Hey, y'all! This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for deep-fried turkey.  And if your house catches fire - hey, deep-fried house. Gobble, gobble."

FAMILY GUY airs Sundays (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT):

• Stewie Griffin - "I'm thankful for building blocks, Rupert and the gentle way Lois grasps my ankles when she hoists up my bottom to clean my poops."

HOUSE airs Mondays (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT)

• Dr. Gregory House - "I am thankful I didn't park on the next floor up at the carnival."
• Dr. Robert Chase - "I am thankful for... well, actually, not very much right now."

LIE TO ME airs Mondays (9:00-10:00 ET/PT):

• Dr. Cal Lightman - "I refuse to acknowledge a holiday that's based on the lie that the Pilgrims and Native Americans all sat down together with smiles on their faces to eat turkey, play footsie and sing ‘Kumbaya.' The truth is that the actual meal was made with venison, and the Plymouth settlers eventually took the Wampanoag tribe's land before both groups brutalized each other in the King Philip's War of 1675."
• Dr. Gillian Foster - "I am thankful that I'm single again and that Lightman got some much-needed vacation time in Mexico. I also feel really bad for all the turkeys. Does anyone need a date for Thursday night?"
• Ria Torres - "I am thankful that I'm no longer working at the airport, where I was used to spending Thanksgiving weekend telling people to remove their smelly shoes and strip-searching potential terrorists."
• Eli Loker - "I wish that Thanksgiving was celebrated like harvest festival of Nigeria's Igbo tribe, which involves wrestling matches, beauty pageants and theater about yams."
• FBI Agent Ben Reynolds - "I refuse to comment as to the nature of what I am or am not thankful for in order to protect myself from any retribution that might result from my testimony in a pending legal matter."

GLEE airs Wednesdays (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT):

• Finn Hudson - "I am thankful that the Pilgrims didn't celebrate the first Thanksgiving by eating Great White Shark because I bet they're much harder to kill than turkeys and my mom's oven isn't very big."
• Rachel Berry - "I am thankful that no matter what happens to me in life, I'll always have a job waiting for me at Disneyland."
• Sue Sylvester - "I'm thankful for bamboo's durability and resistance to splintering, making my ‘discipline cane' the perfect teaching tool."

BONES airs Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT):

• Dr. Temperance Brennan - "I am thankful for the Thanksgiving tradition of splitting the Furcula. The Furcula being the wishbone, of course."
• FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth - "I am thankful that my life has progressed from killing people for a living to catching people who kill people."
• Dr. Jack Hodgins - "I am thankful for being the King of the Lab."
• Angela Montenegro - "I am thankful that my office is far enough away from the forensic platform that I don't have to smell corpses all day."
• Dr. Cam Saroyan - "I am thankful that the smartest people in the world are often the easiest to manipulate."
• Dr. Lance Sweets - "I am thankful for neurosis and sexual tension between partners."

FRINGE airs Thursdays (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT):

• Agent Olivia Dunham - "I am thankful that scotch exists."
• Peter Bishop - "I am thankful that Walter stopped counting out loud while he urinates."
• Dr. Walter Bishop - "I am thankful that I still have wonderful LSD flashbacks."

HBO's harrowing 'Terror in Mumbai'

There's nothing entertaining in the 64-minute HBO documentary "Terror in Mumbai" (8 tonight), a harrowing, disturbing chronicle of last year's terrorist attacks in India. If anything, the horror on display made me feel guilty for enjoying the faux terrorism used as entertainment in shows like "24" and "Sleeper Cell."

Narrated by CNN's Fareed Zakaria, the film tells the story of what happened on Nov. 26, 2008, when 10 Pakistani men went on a terror spree through Mumbai that killed 170 and injured scores of others. Produced and directed by Dan Reed, the film uses interviews with eyewitness and survivors to tell the story but it also uses the words of the terrorists, captured when Indian security forces tapped into their cell phone conversations.

It's difficult to imagine the motivation of these young men, especially when the anguish they caused is so clear on the face of one 12-year-old boy, a Muslim like the terrorists who killed his mother and father.

If it wasn't so terrifying, there's almost some humor - and maybe even some recognition of ourselves - in the naivete of the young men sent to kill innocent civilians. When they get to the top floors of a swanky hotel, they're distracted from their mission by the opulence they see, gawking at big-screen computer monitors and suites with multiple kitchens. But then the killing resumes.

So why should viewers tune in? To be better informed. To understand how comparatively lucky America has been in the years after 9-11 and to hopefully learn that hate will only put us at the same level as the terrorists who seek to do us harm.

'Old Christine' inspires chuckles; another 'Mad Men' tidbit; new podcast

CBS's "New Adventures of Old Christine" (8 tonight, KDKA) was the perfect alternate option when ABC was still airing the odious "Hank" in the 8 p.m. Wednesday time slot. Even with "Hank" gone, "Christine" is still an amusing sitcom. It's not the best written comedy in prime time, but star Julia Louis-Dreyfus totally sells her reaction shots, making the show an enjoyably looney half-hour.

In tonight's episode, Christine (Louis-Dreyfus) and ex-husband Richard (Clark Gregg) set one another up on dates. He meets "a model with a tramp stamp that says, 'you're welcome'" (Jennifer Grey, Gregg's real-life wife); Christine gets set up with previous terrible date Tom (Dave Foley), with whom she has no chemistry. But they date anyway and she even suggests they have a night of passion with the most disgust Louis-Dreyfus can possibly conjure. She also sells Christine's cluelessness.

Christine claims she's a feminist so she can't take gifts for nothing from Tom. But she will give him sex in return.

"So, you dont want to be the type of person who takes things for nothing but you're the type of person who takes things for sex?" asks her brother, Matthew (Hamish Linklater).

"Yeah," Christine reponds in condescending disbelief, "what part of 'feminist' do you not understand?"

With apologies to "Seinfeld," "Christine" is not must-see TV comedy but whenever I do tune in, I generally find myself amused by the series.

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Heather Locklear returned to "Melrose Place" last night to reprise her role as Amanda Woodward. I was surprised The CW did not send the episode out for review in advance of air to churn up interest but I tuned in last night out of curiosity. Scenes with Locklear looked like they were shot through a lens slathered in vaseline to hide any signs of aging.

As I expected, Amanda returned and quickly fired ad exec Caleb (guest star Victor Webster) but not before issuing a classic Amanda Woodward slam: "This L.A. branch is drowning in red like a stere in a salughterhouse. When I hired you to give this place a makeover, I didn't mean smear it in lipstick and make it look like a five dollar hooker. This office is pathetic."

Welcome back, Amanda!

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McCann welcomes Sterling Cooper: Remember on the season finale of "Mad Men" when Don led a revolt to escape from Sterling Cooper after the company was bought by McCann Erickson? Well, the real-life ad agency has created a video to welcome Sterling Cooper to the fold.

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In this week's Tuned In podcast, enterprise reporter Maria Sciullo and I discuss "Modern Family," January Jones on "Saturday Night Live" and "The Amazing Race." Listen or subscribe at post-gazette.com/podcast.

NBC's new 'Madagascar' holiday special; taking questions

Can't networks wait until after Thanksgiving to start rolling out the holiday specials?

Tonight at 8, NBC debuts "Merry Madagascar," based on the popular Dreamworks "Madagascar" franchise.

Here's the logline:

"Merry Madagascar" begins when Santa (Carl Reiner) and his sleigh unexpectedly crash land on the island, giving the jolly gentleman a case of amnesia. So it falls to Alex (Ben Stiller), Marty (Chris Rock), Melman (David Schwimmer), and Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) along with the ever-inventive Penguins to deliver the presents and save Christmas.

Voice star Rock said he likes working with the Dreamworks folks -- a third big-screen "Madagascar" adventure is in the works, he said -- but he also has a more practical reason for taking on voice work.

"You get some of that 'Hannah Montana' money," he said in a teleconference with reporters last week. "You get in with the kids, that definitely can't hurt."

Money, and his love of it, seemed to be a recurring theme on the Chris Rock conference call. When asked about future TV projects after the cancellation of "Everybody Hates Chris," Rock said, "It was a good weekly check but I'm scaling back now."

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If you have a question for the TV Q&A, now's the time to submit it for this Friday's column.

Definition: Showrunner; free day on PG+

Over the years the one TV term that seems to throw newspaper editors and copy editors for a loop is the term showrunner. I guess maybe it is a little foreign sounding in the way it puts two words together and precisely describes the job of the person who runs a TV show, but because it's so direct, I'm always surprised when people don't get it.

That said, there are some inconsistencies in its usage even in Hollywood. I tend to think of a showrunner as a program's chief creative visionary, generally the executive producer/head writer. But I have heard network executives apply the term to non-writing executive producers, too.

For one detailed, specific example of a TV series creator/exeuctive producer/head writer/showrunner written by someone who bears those titles, read this blog entry by Kurt Sutter of "Sons of Anarchy." (Warning: Some profane language included.)

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Earlier this fall the Post-Gazette launched a new Web site, PG+, and today is a free day for anyone to poke around in the site before signing up for a subscription. You can access the site here. I've been doing a weekly vodcast for the site that can be found under the "Life" drop-down tab. Each week Katy Buchanan and I chat about the TV show that will be featured on the upcoming cover of TV Week, discuss a best TV bet for the week and answer viewer questions. Tune in today!

National Geographic Channel launches 'Expedition Week'

National Geographic Channel goes on another "Expedition Week" beginning Sunday with a roster of new programs designed to goose viewer interest in the channel with sensational titles such as:

-- "Search for the Amazon Headshrinkers" (9 p.m. Sunday)

-- "Expedition Great White" (9 p.m. Monday)

-- "Hunt for the Samurai Subs" (9 p.m. Tuesday)

-- "The First Jesus?" (9 p.m. Friday)
 

Piers Gibbon, host of "Amazon Headshrinkers," explains that his show will explain why anyone would want to shrink the heads of the deceased.

"They were very proud of what they did in the past, and they do say it's in the past," Gibbon said at a Nat Geo press conference this past summer in Pasadena, Calif. "Although  as you'll see in the film there's some suspicions that something still goes on. But why they did  it is it's a form of capital punishment plus. You cut the head off and shrink it in order to ensure that that person is fully punished and also that that person is not going to come back, that his spirit is not going to come back and cry for vengeance. It's very effective."

WQED goes on 'Science Mission 101'

Tonight at 8 WQED premieres its latest pilot of a proposed children's' series, "Science Mission 101," which will also be available for other PBS stations nationwide to air.

Aimed at middle school students, it's a more au courant series than "Teens on Q," using a format inspired by reality shows to pit two teams of three high school students each against one another in completing and reporting on a series of science experiments. The teams' reports are judged by a panel of University of Pittsburgh instructors, a la "American Idol." But it's tough to make science entertaining and for all its good intentions, "Science Mission 101" does not get the job done.

Host Mike Lee plays it straight and avoids efforts to try to be overly cool. He's basically the ringmaster, a la Jeff Probst on "Survivor" but without having to deal with backstabbing contestants. Everyone on "Science Mission 101" gets along but sometimes their direct-address diary segments feel a little too perfect, like they were rehearsed (other times, they feel more spontaneous).

The science on display isn't the problem: It's the production values. The show feels under-funded and one team's decision to present its report using old-school poster board doesn't help matters.

Bios of each contestant  try to offer character sketches on the contestants - Team Awesome includes team leader Olivia Iannone, 14, of South Park High School; Jason Chen, 16, of North Allegheny High School; and Aliya Taylor, 16, of Riverview High School. Team Dominate is led by Dominic Stokes, 16, of Valley High School, who is joined by Pietra Bruni, 16, of Seton La Salle High School, and Guthrie Gintzler, 16, of Taylor Allderdice High School -- but they still come off as types selected to best represent calculated diversity. (Their slow-motion walk down a hallway looks like an ad for Benetton Kids.)

Creating television for teens, particularly using science as the backbone, is a worthy endeavor. But doing it successfully enough that the target audience will want to watch may just be an impossible mission.