Wondering about that surprise death of a series regular on "House" last night? Read more about it here.
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Amidst the hew and cry over the cancellation of CBS's "Guiding Light" last week, the funniest reaction piece ran in the local humor site, Carbolic Smoke Ball.
Speaking of "GL," fans are organizing a campaign to save the show via a petition (with a surprisingly paltry four comments) and a fan site.
We discuss "GL," the end of "ER" and "Life on Mars" and the season finale of "Damages" in Tuned In Podcast at post-gazette.com/podcast.
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This past month I didn't have as much opportunity to watch sweeps stories as usual, but there were not many e-mails from viewers complaining about sweeps features. I did receive an e-mail praising an Andy Sheehan KDKA report on WQED. Because it's rare for Pittsburgh stations to report on cultural institutions such as WQED, I sought out the stories.
Much of what was in the report was not new. The Post-Gazette reported on WQED president George Miles' presence on multiple boards last fall, the WQED board's reaction to that report and the station's cost-cutting efforts. Still, it was a welcome change of pace to see a news outlet other than the Post-Gazette playing a watchdog role with regards to a cultural institution. Well done.
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Retired WPXI reporter Andy Gastmeyer has made good on his promise to launch a blog. He pointedly describes his blog - called Beyond a Minute-Fifteen, named for the running time of many TV news stories - as an effort to think "outside the box that restricts thought to a minute-fifteen seconds and favors the sensational over substance and somehow symbolizes the belief, on the part of many local TV news managers and the consultants they bow to, that you can't overestimate the dimwittedness of your viewers."
So far, there's no real criticism of local news beyond that introduction on Gastmeyer's blog, just his thoughts on assorted topics, from the AIG scandal to the surcharge on 3-D movies.
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Fans of "Heroes" (anyone? anyone? Bueller?) may be interested to know there's a new soundtrack out today:
HEROES ORIGINAL SCORE ALBUM TO BE RELEASED BY LA-LA LAND RECORDS ON APRIL 7
Original Score Album From NBC's Hit Series "Heroes" Features Original Music From Show Composers Wendy & Lisa
(April 2, 2009- Burbank, CA) - First they saved the cheerleader and saved the world. Now the Heroes have another assignment - this time on CD. La-La Land Records will release the original score album on April 7, 2009 via their website www.lalalandrecords.com and in stores April 21. Wendy and Lisa (Soul Food, Crossing Jordan) composed the original score. La-La Land Records is releasing the "Heroes" score album through a license agreement with NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group.
In 2006, audiences were intrigued by six words ... "save the cheerleader, save the world." The first season of Heroes featured ordinary people with extraordinary powers. The cop who can hear your thoughts, the flying nurse, the drug addict who could see the future, and the Japanese man appropriately named Hiro who could bend time and space were amongst those whose mission became saving the cheerleader. Each character is drawn into the 'Company's' conspiracy to control these super-powered people.
The "Heroes" original score album features ten powerful tracks, including the "Heroes" title and the memorable "Fire & Regeneration" theme. Each of the additional tracks is built around one of the heroes, and carries the instrumentals and rhythms that are particular to that character - such as the heroic, strong cello sounds for "Peter Petrelli" (Milo Ventimiglia) and the dreamy instrumentals of the fire and regeneration cue for "Claire Bennet" (Hayden Panettiere).
The last two tracks on the album, "Kirby Plaza" and "Fire & Regeneration," are sure to evoke familiar scenes for the listener. "Kirby Plaza" is the final, fiery conclusion to Season I, when "Peter Petrelli" (Milo Ventimiglia) explodes over New York City. "Fire and Regeneration" is the recurring theme for "Claire Bennet" (Hayden Penettiere) and according to Wendy and Lisa, is "...hands down the very favorite among fans." They consider it to be "the sound of Heroes - the cue that gave us the direction for the series." The entire track listing is below.
Childhood friends Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman each grew up in musical families. Lisa joined Prince's touring band in 1980. She recommended Wendy when another player left the group in 1983. Prince agreed and they began working on Purple Rain. The film and album were both smash hits and Prince's touring band was renamed The Revolution. Wendy and Lisa worked with Prince on the follow-up albums Parade and Under the Cherry Moon. In 1986 The Revolution was dissolved.
Wendy and Lisa released their first self-titled album in 1987, and have continued to record as a duo. In the mid-90s they began working on several film projects, and have regularly contributed scores to numerous television series including Crossing Jordan, Bionic Woman, and Heroes. Wendy and Lisa earned the prestigious ASCAP award for Composer's of the Year for their work on Dangerous Minds, the theme to HBO's Carnivale, Crossing Jordan and Heroes.
"Sometimes it feels more like being in a band together than your typical composer/producer relationship," describes Executive Producer/Director Allan Arkush. "Every episode is done from scratch. Every cue meticulously crafted and composed to compliment each scene and story arc. During spotting sessions, Lisa writes many, many notes and impressions in little notebooks that she fills with her own very personal reactions to the episodes."
He continues, "Wendy, when she's not talking back to the screen, gives opinions, lots of them, and often asks that a scene be run again but without the temp music. She wants to see the work without any music telling her what to feel. We need their honest reaction to each episode. That reaction is translated into the music that is such an important part of the Heroes experience for you people watching at home."
Heroes airs Monday nights on NBC. The original score album will be available exclusively from www.lalalandrecords.com on April 7th and available both digitally and in stores on April 21, 2009.
Track Listing
1. Heroes Title*
2. Peter*
3. Claire
4. Hiro
5. HRG*
6. Mohinder
7. Sylar*
8. Jessica/Niki/Gina
9. Kirby Plaza*
10. Fire and Regeneration*
* features the voice of Shenkar
About Heroes
From creator/writer Tim Kring ("Crossing Jordan") the epic drama chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities. On February 2, "Heroes" continued its third season with a brand-new volume -- "Fugitives." In the latest installment, the Heroes are the targets of a government conspiracy to capture those with abilities, led by one of their own.
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Today I head to my alma mater, Syracuse University, to participate in a symposium on Fred Silverman, a programming executive at CBS, ABC and NBC in the 1970s. Preparing for it has already offered some useful lessons in TV history, so the panel discussions are likely to be even more informative.
Posted
Apr 07 2009, 12:15 AM
by
Rob Owen