Nov 06 2009
I'm on vacation but news doesn't stop:
1) Former WPXI news director Corrie Harding has landed a job as a news director at WCNC in Charlotte, N.C., per Mark Washburn, TV critic at the Charlotte Observer. Harding says he'll have the title "executive news director overseeing broadcast and web." He begins work there Nov. 30.
2) We reported last week about WTAE testing its expanded digital signal. The test is now over and the signal is now live 24/7. Here's WTAE's release:
WTAE Channel 4, in
a continuing effort to provide the highest quality television to all homes in
the Pittsburgh viewing area, has recently completed installation of a DTV
repeater/transmitter.
The DTV repeater
will penetrate areas previously experiencing difficulty receiving the WTAE
Channel 4 signal over-the-air, mainly locations in the river valleys around the
city. David Kasperek, Director of Engineering at WTAE Channel 4 said, "The
early results appear to meet and in some ways exceed
expectations."
Now WTAE Channel 4
is available in High Definition to all residents in the viewing area.
Over-the-air viewers who previously had difficulty receiving our signal should
now rescan their TV's or converter boxes to find WTAE on 4.3 and
4.4.
4) Comcast is making changes to its on-screen guide in traditional Comcast areas next week (not former Adelphia areas). Here's the most important part of the notice, which is buried in the release:
This new
upgrade may affect certain saved settings on a limited number of channels,
including some parental controls locks to block a specific channel and scheduled
DVR recordings. Customers will receive direct notice regarding potentially
impacted settings and
should visit www.comcast.com/guide for more information. Parents
are encouraged to regularly confirm that their preference settings and controls
are in place as appropriate on each digital box throughout the home.
Channels with DVR recordings affected include:
More Max
East
Cinemax
East
Encore
East
Showtime
2
Showtime 3
East
Showtime
East
Showtime
Showcase
Flix
East
Starz
Edge
Starz
InBlack
Starz!
East
HBO 2
East
Sundance Channel
East
HBO
East
HBO Family
East
The Movie Channel
East
HBO Signature
East
Turner Classic
Movies
Speed
Channel
Fox Soccer
Channel
Fox Sports
South
ESPN
News
Game Show
Network
FitTV
HGTV
Weatherscan
Cartoon
Network
Outdoor
Channel
Discovery
Health
Syfy
Science
Channel
ESPN
Classic
ESPN2
The Golf
Channel
History
USA
HD
Here's the full release:
Normal
0
COMCAST TO UPGRADE
ON-SCREEN PROGRAM GUIDE IN TRADITIONAL COMCAST AREAS WEEK OF NOV. 8; ADDS
REMOTE DVR SCHEDULING AND OTHER NEW FEATURES
New
Enhancements Make It Easier, Faster and More Convenient For Customers to
Schedule, Record, Manage and Watch Favorite Programs
Company
Reminds Customers to Check and Reset Certain Preferences
Pittsburgh,
PA - November 5, 2009 - Comcast, Pittsburgh's leading provider of entertainment, information and
communications products and services, today announced the upcoming launch next
week of new features to its on-screen program guide and DVR service that will
bring more choice and convenience than ever for Digital Television customers in
traditional Comcast areas of the Pittsburgh region. Customers do not need to add equipment to take advantage of these
enhancements, which are completely free of charge. In addition, the update will improve the overall customer
experience and make future enhancements - like interactive television -
possible.
"We are
delighted to introduce these new features to our Digital Television customers
in Pittsburgh," said Linda Hossinger, Senior Vice President for Comcast's Three
Rivers Region. "We are committed to
providing our customers with the ultimate TV viewing experience and the
addition of new on-screen program guide technology and enhanced DVR functions join
a long list of value added features that make watching what you want easier and
more enjoyable than ever."
New On-Screen Program Guide Features
Watch in HD Button
- The new Watch in HD button on
the Smart Bar allows HD customers to immediately see if the program is
available in HD.
- The Watch in HD Button cuts
scroll times and allows customers to jump from the SD channel to HD sister
channel faster.
On Demand Skip Ahead/Skip Back
- On Demand Skip Ahead and Skip Back
enables customers to skip ahead or skip back in five minutes increments by
pressing Page Up and Page Down arrows on the remote.
New DVR Service Features
myDVR Manager
- myDVR Manager is a new feature
that allows customers with a Comcast DVR and high-speed Internet to
remotely schedule and adjust their recordings online using Comcast TV
Listings. Comcast customers should go to www.comcast.net/newguide and
click on myDVR Manager to learn how to activate this feature, see the
How-To Guide, add programs to their recording list and manage their
scheduled DVR recordings as well as change the priority of recorded series.
DVR Search & Record
- DVR Search & Record enables
customers to search for a program by actor, title, director and keyword. For example, if a customer searches for
"Clint Eastwood" all programs Clint Eastwood acted in or directed that are
in the TV Listings would appear. If the customer saves the Clint Eastwood
search, the DVR would automatically search for new matches and schedule recordings anytime a Clint Eastwood
program aired on any channel.
DVR Skip Ahead/Skip Back
- DVR Skip Ahead/Skip Back allows
customers to skip ahead or skip back in five minute increments by pressing
Page Up and Page Down arrows on the remote.
DVR History and Cleanup
- DVR
History displays information on already recorded, watched and deleted
programs.
- DVR Clean Up
allows customers to manage their DVR by deleting in bulk programs they no
longer want to save.
DVR Folders
- When customers record more than
one episode of a series, DVR Folders will automatically create a folder where
programs are stored.
This new
upgrade may affect certain saved settings on a limited number of channels,
including some parental controls locks to block a specific channel and scheduled
DVR recordings. Customers will receive direct notice regarding potentially
impacted settings and
should visit www.comcast.com/guide for more information. Parents
are encouraged to regularly confirm that their preference settings and controls
are in place as appropriate on each digital box throughout the home.
For more information on the new
program guide customers can visit www.comcast.net/newguide or to order Comcast
Digital Cable service, customers can call 1-800-COMCAST or visit www.comcast.com.
Nov 06 2009
The syndicated series "Legend of the Seeker" returns with a two-hour premiere at 3 p.m. Saturday on WPCW. The first hour is a rerun of the first season finale followed by the second season premiere.
This is not a show I watched beyond its first couple of episodes last season -- too much gobbledegook fantasy nonsense for my taste.
But I was curious about the new season, which includes a guest appearance by Charisma Carpenter ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") in tomorrow's season premiere. She's something called a Mord'Sith and fights in a pool with a hot blond woman and then later kisses her on the lips (as if there weren't enough shades of "Xena" in "Legend of the Seeker," now there's more!).
Here's the studio description of the new season:
At the end of the first season, Richard succeeds in his quest to defeat
Darken Rahl, but it remains to be seen whether or not he has truly been
destroyed. Richard will soon discover that, in defeating Rahl, he inadvertently
opened a rift into the underworld, and he'll have to deal with those
consequences as a war is waged on the living.
Nov 05 2009
The CW's "Supernatural" (9 tonight, WPCW) mocks the conventions of prime time tonight in an offbeat, hilarious episode.
It begins with Sam (Jared Pedelecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) trapped inside different TV show genres:
-- There's a sitcom, complete with laugh track and opening credits out of a 1980s Warner Bros. sitcom.
-- A "Grey's Anatomy" spoof with "Dr. McSexy," pitch-perfect treacly music and a female doc who says, "Seriously?"
-- A "CSI: Miami" spoof, complete with sunglasses and bad puns.
There's also a Japanese game show and Sam gets trapped inside a famous TV show car.
Even if you're not a "Supernatural," there are some good-humored laughs in this cheeky episode.
Nov 04 2009
So I'm interested to hear what people thought of ABC's new "V"? As a long-time fan of the original, I was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining the remake turned out to be. We'll see if future episodes live up to last night's pilot.
In the meantime, it's nice to see that Kenneth Johnson, who created the original, is able to see the upside of a new series, even though he's not involved in it.
Online features editor Sharon Eberson and I talk about "V," "FlashForward" and "Sesame Street" in this week's Tuned In podcast.
What did you think of the new "V"? Sign in (or register to sign in) and post your comments below.
***

Can't say I knew much about singer/composer/lyricist Johnny Mercer before TCM's "Johnny Mercer: The Dream's On Me" (8 tonight), and an unfortunate moment of self-indulgence in the early minutes almost made me turn away.
Produced and directed by Bruce Ricker ("Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends") and executive produced by music fan Clint Eastwood, that scene in question features Eastwood escorting his 13-year-old daughter (not granddaughter, but daughter) into a recording studio to sing a Mercer tune. That made me worry that the film would be nothing but an ego stroke dressed up as a biography.
But the moment passed and the focus returned to Mercer and his collaborations that resulted in such classic songs as "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" (or as I call it, the "Homefront" theme), "Hooray for Hollywood," "Jeepers Creepers" and "Moon River."
If nothing else, the music makes this doc worth... listening to.
Nov 03 2009
I've written about webisodes from "The Office" several times in the past, but these never seemed to gain much traction in the popular culture zeitgeist. That seems to have changed with the latest web series, "The Office: Subtle Sexuality," if my Twitter feed is an accurate barometer (and I recognize that it probably is not).
In the latest series (view it here), Kelly (Mindy Kaling, who also directed) and Erin (Ellie Kemper) create a musical group called Subtle Sexuality and enlist co-workers Ryan (B.J. Novak) and Andy (Ed Helms) in making a music vidoe that turns up in episode three.
The song, called "Male Prima Donna," is ridiculously catchy and the video is hilarious.
"You're the male prima donna but I can't help but want ya," Kelly and Erin sing. "I'm an independent diva but I still kinda need ya."
Also, it's great to see more development for the Erin character, who remains fuzzy in the TV show but begins to come into her own in these webisodes.
***
The first (of many?) soundtracks from Fox's "Glee" arrives in stores today and I was happy to see it includes songs from episodes that have already aired as well as next week's episode.
The next episode includes a fantastic diva-off between Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer), who sing "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked," which is included on this CD along with "Don't Stop Believin'" from the pilot. That song was certified gold last week from digital download sales in excess of 500,000.
Here's the complete track list from the first "Glee" soundtrack:
- "Don't Stop
Believin'"
- "Can't Fight This
Feeling"
- "Gold
Digger"
- "Take a Bow"
- "Bust Your Windows"
- "Taking
Chances"
- "Alone"
- "Maybe This
Time"
- "Somebody to Love"
- "Hate On Me"
- "No Air"
- "You Keep Me Hangin'
On"
- "Keep Holding
On"
- "Bust a Move"
- "Sweet
Caroline"
- "Dancing with Myself"
- "Defying
Gravity"
Nov 02 2009
CBS's daytime soap "As the World Turns" came to Pittsburgh to shoot scenes today featuring several cast members including "soap super-couple" Jack (Michael Park) and Carly (Maura West). Here are some photos by Post-Gazette photographer Bob Donaldson:
In the above photo, Carly saves Jack from being hit by a car. Note the black mats on the pavement in the lower left corner of the photo -- that's where the actors landed.
After the tumbling shot, the black mats were removed and the West plopped on top of Park in the street (above).
Once Jack and Carly get up and dust themselves off, they get into a heated argument with Carly begging Jack to break off his pursuit of con man Simon (Paul Leyden, who returns to the show after several years away).
Read more about the "ATWT" shoot in the print edition of the Post-Gazette and see video with the online version of the story at post-gazette.com/tv. More photos can be found at PG+.
Nov 02 2009
Showtime debuts an interesting "film essay" by and starring Academy Award winner Barry Levinson, who explores the intersection of politics and celebrity in "Poliwood" (7:30 tonight).
Levinson muses about the influence television has had in the political culture and how Americans see celebrities who get involved in political causes (answer: not in a positive light).
"Political shows learned from entertainment shows that conflict is important," Levinson says. "That's what drives the drama and now we're taking conflict into the political shows. So we have a Democrat and a Republican and they go at one another and that conflict becomes more interesting and that's what ultimately drives the ratings and ultimately that may be what creates this polarization that's taking place."
Interesting point, although I think it's one Jon Stewart made a few years ago.
In addition, the film follows members of the Creative Coalition -- who knew? it's non-partisan, I figured it was the decidedly liberal group it comes across as in this film -- some of whom exhibit mighty thin skin (cough, Josh Lucas, cough) when meeting with a Fox News Channel producer who tries to teach them more effective communication tools.
Oct 30 2009
Can't say I've watched much of CBS's "Cold Case" (10 p.m. Sunday, KDKA), but this week's episode sparked my interest because the cold case investigated is from World War II, an era I've had a fondness for since my beloved "Homefront."
In this week's episode, the cold case squad looks into a murder among the WASP program of civilian women pilots who flew non-combat missions for the U.S. Air Force in WWII.
The flashbacks are in black and white and the music is of the period. The story isn't all that surprising as crime procedurals go and the production values do not live up to "Band of Brothers" (or "Homefront" for that matter), but if you like period pieces, it may be worth checking out.
It's basically of the same caliber as the "Army Wives" episode that also flashed back to WWII earlier this fall.
***
Can someone explain to me the appeal of comic/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham? I really don't get it, and yet the atrocious "Jeff Dunham Show" was a smash hit in its 9 p.m. Thursday debut last week:
"The Jeff Dunham Show" bowed at 9:00 p.m. on the all-comedy channel and
proceeded to break the network's all-time records for a series premiere among
total viewers (5.3 million), Adults 18-49 rating (2.6) and Adult 18-49 viewers
(3 million).
Seriously, did anyone watch it and enjoy it? And if so, why?
***
Showtime's "Dexter" took quite a twist at the end of last week's episode when -- SPOILER ALERT! -- it was revealed that the Trinity killer (John Lithgow) is not a loner as suspected but rather a family man ... just like Dexter (Michael C. Hall). It was a brilliant move on the part of the show's writers and has me more engrossed in the series than I've been since season one.
Sunday's episode offers more fascinating psychology as Dexter learns how to be a better family man from Trinity. It's a creepy yet perfect step forward for the character and the series.
In addition, Showtime now has TV-MA-rated animated Webisodes based on the show available online.
Oct 29 2009
One of the great joys (and surprises) of the Fall 2009 TV season is that after years in the TV desert, comedy is once again cool. It may not yet be king, but I definitely find myself more excited about TV's comedies than most of its dramas these days ("Mad Men" is an obvious exception).
ABC's "Modern Family" (9 p.m. Wednesday) is at the top of my must-watch comedy list but NBC's Thursday comedies are not far behind.
I've already sung the praises of the greatly improved "Parks and Recreation" (8:30 tonight, WPXI). which has another winning episode tonight that's Halloween-themed.
But I've also enjoyed watching "Community" (9 tonight, WPXI) develop. It's not as sure-footed as "Modern Family" and Jeff's (Joel McHale) pursuit of Britta (Mt. Lebanon native Gillian Jacobs) threatens to become repetitive, but I like seeing the ensemble players come into their own. That's especially true of Abed (Danny Pudi), a breakout character in the pilot who continues to make the strongest impression.
What comedies are you hooked on this season? Sign in (or register to sign in) and post your comments below.
Oct 28 2009
WTAE has been testing its long-in-the-works DTV repeater this week from 8-11:30
p.m. The repeater, located on the WQED tower in Oakland, is designed to
serve the East End and may also help some WTAE viewers with reception
issues on the South Side.
Director of Engineering Dave Kasperek wrote me earlier this week:
"So far it appears to meet, or in some ways exceed our expectations.
But WQED-TV's
tower work is not finished yet, so we are on hold for a fulltime launch within
(hopefully) a week or so. (Tower crew safety issues)
... Over
the air viewers interested in seeing if they can get us now need to rescan their
TVs or Converter boxes to find us on 4-3 & 4-4 (that's how they'll know it's
the repeater).
"
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