Author Archive
 

 

OSCAR ODDS for Major Categories — UPDATED

>Updated Oscar odds confirm a complete snooze is in store for Sunday’s Academy Awards as The Artist and director Michel Hazanavicius are heavy favorites to win Best Picture and Best Director, bringing a very French flavor...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S MONDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 2/20/12

> So much for SMASH being a hit. NBC:  Leaving the numbers aside for a moment, on a dramatic level SMASH after 3 episodes is starting to lose its practically-cable sheen, and look a lot more like a high-class ABC soap.&nbs...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

The Sked: PROMO WATCH — Update through February 19

>Over halfway through the February ratings sweep, the broadcast networks continue to exhibit very different strategies in allocating their precious on-air promotion time to market and launch new programs as well as supporting t...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S SUNDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 2/19/12

>Some new arrivals didn’t get anyone excited. NBC: This year’s CELEBRITY APPRENTICE freak-show made its entrance onto the scene, down 0.2 from last year’s premiere despite the boosted lead-in of a Voice repeat...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY NY THEATRE JOURNAL: “Merrily We Roll Along”

> Despite the comparably dismal length of their Broadway runs, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG is an entirely different species of flop from Carrie. The latter was an intruder on the Great White Way from the start, the implausible musica...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

The Sked: Upscale Ratings — FOX Profile

> Previously in this series on upscale TV ratings, we have examined ABC (many upscale shows but too many series stuck with mid-level or low audience sizes) and CBS (sizable audiences but many downscale or at best middling incom...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY NY THEATRE JOURNAL: “Other Desert Cities”

> Buzz has it that Jon Robin Baitz’s play OTHER DESERT CITIES is one of the frontrunners for this year’s Best Play Tony Award, and it’s easy to see why. (Let’s leave aside the fact that so few new plays ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY’S FRIDAY BOXOFFICE SCORECARD

> Just try to imagine the number of terrible pitches being made to Channing Tatum’s and Rachel McAdams’ agents right now. (And not being made to Reese Witherspoon’s, Chris Pine’s and Tom Hardy’s.) ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’S FRIDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 2/17/12

> An atypical night gave the win to ABC, but CBS may have the key to Fridays for the rest of the season. CBS: UNDERCOVER BOSS ran away with 8PM, ahead of the nearest competition by almost a full ratings point. A GIFTED MAN, run...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY NY THEATRE JOURNAL: “Carrie”

> CARRIE the musical is no longer a joke, and since it’s been a reliable punchline for almost a quarter of a century (a book about Broadway disasters was titled “Not Since Carrie“), that’s quite an accom...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY EARLY FRIDAY BOXOFFICE REPORT – 2/17/12

>The Hollywood Reporter has preliminary Friday numbers, and while the day’s boxoffice is looking like a close finish between GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE (Sony) and THE VOW (Screen Gems/Sony), with both at $7-7.5M for...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “This Means War”

>THIS MEANS WAR: Not Even For Free – This Means Crap No expense has been spared in making THIS MEANS WAR one of the worst pictures of recent years. A dreadful mash-up of the romantic-comedy and action-adventure genres, th...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

The Sked: Upscale Ratings — CBS Profile

>In the last post on upscale ratings, we looked at ABC, which has a high number of series that skew substantially toward upper-income viewers but not enough programs with a sizable total audience.  Today, we turn our atten...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S THURSDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 2/16/12

> A generally lousy week for network TV continues. ABC: Despite its crossover with PRIVATE PRACTICE, GREY’S ANATOMY (which was admittedly facing American Idol this week) swooned to a season low 3.1, down almost 25% from l...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

The Sked: Upscale Ratings — ABC Profile

>Previously we examined the upscale ratings picture of the Monday at 10 pm hour, which showed the first few episodes of Smash as solidly upscale, Hawaii Five-0 as fairy downscale and Castle in the middle.  Today we turn ou...
by Mitch Salem