Category: Television

Bush to Chat About Sept. 11 with ’60 Minutes II’
U.S. President George W. Bush has granted an exclusive set of Sept. 11-related interviews to “60 Minutes II” correspondent Scott Pelley. The discussion will appear on the CBS newsmagazine on the first anniversary of the attacks.
Pelley said the White House didn’t set down any parameters for the conversations, which will also include senior members of the administration.
“There are no ground rules and or understandings about how the interview will be conducted,” said Pelley, the network’s former chief White House correspondent during the Clinton administration. One interview will take place on Air Force One, the other in the Oval Office.
The announcement comes after a nine-month effort by Pelley to persuade the White House to participate in the documentary project.
Pelley recalled two conversations in which he conversed briefly with fellow Texan Bush, whom he last interviewed when Bush was president-elect. “He pretty much said ‘sounds great, sounds like the kind of thing we want to do.”‘
During primetime, special versions of “60 Minutes” and “60 Minutes II” will run against a set of ABC documentaries that will feature a reconstruction of events surrounding the attacks, an examination of national security and a look at post-traumatic stress disorder.
NBC’s primetime will feature “Concert for America,” a Sept. 9 event that first lady Laura Bush will attend. While the network says it can’t confirm the president’s schedule that night, the president is likely to attend.
In what seems like a counter-programming move, the deliberately lighter, Tom Brokaw-hosted event will come at the end of what will be an emotionally draining day.
With coverage beginning on the morning of Sept. 8, CBS will have an hourlong version of “Face the Nation” and later that day will repeat the documentary “9/11,” seen by 39 million viewers when it aired last March. NBC also will begin its coverage early with a two-hour version of “Dateline” on the eve of the 11th.
The Bush White House has been dividing access equitably among the three networks, with interviews granted to NBC’s Brokaw and ABC’s Barbara Walters and Claire Shipman.
But it was only a few months ago that Bush was photographed carrying a copy of the Bernard Goldberg book “Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News.” In the bestseller, the author takes aim at networks for what he perceives as their liberal slant.
“I was in Afghanistan last December and saw that photo on the cover on the International Herald-Tribune,” recalled Pelley, who was in the midst of lobbying the White House for access back then. “I thought, oh, no. This going to sink our proposal. As it turns out the president was more evenhanded than that.”

Yes, May I Have 2 Scoops Of…
To help promote its fall season, NBC has joined forces with Baskin-Robbins to create ice-cream flavors based on its shows. Soon you will be able to buy scoops of Fear Factor Sundae, Will & Grace’s Rocky Road of Romance and Stuckey Bowled-Over Brownie.

NBC Premieres
Here are all of the premiere dates and times for NBC’s fall schedule:
American Dreams – Sept. 29. 8 p.m.
Boomtown – Sept. 29. 10 p.m.
Crossing Jordan – Sept. 23. 9:30 p.m.
Ed – Sept. 25. 8 p.m.
ER – Sept. 26. 10 p.m.
Fear Factor – Sept. 23. 8 p.m.
Frasier – Sept. 24. 9 p.m.
Friends – Sept. 26. 8 p.m.
Good Morning Miami – Sept. 26. 9:30 p.m.
Hidden Hills – Sept. 24. 9:30 p.m.
In-Laws – Sept. 24. 8 p.m.
Just Shoot Me – Sept. 24. 8:30 p.m.
Law & Order: CI – Sept. 29. 9 p.m.
Law & Order: SVU – Sept. 27. 10 p.m.
Providence – Oct. 4. 8 p.m.
Scrubs – Sept. 26. 8:30 p.m.
Third Watch – Sept. 30. 9 p.m.
The West Wing – Sept. 25. 9 p.m.
Will & Grace – Sept. 26. 9 p.m.

NBC Plans THREE’S COMPANY Movie
Do you picture yourself as a John Ritter-type? Well now’s your chance to play him, as NBC is developing a tv movie about THREE’S COMPANY.
Fans of ’70s TV will be interested to know that come Aug. 6, Hollywood will be hit with a wave of John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt wannabes. It’s an open casting call for “Three’s Company Revisited,” producer Stan Brooks’ NBC movie about the behind-the-scenes intrigue on the ditzy hit sitcom. A theater for the auditions has yet to be announced. Brooks notes that Ritter, Somers and DeWitt “were unknowns who became big stars. Now we’re looking for unknowns to play them.”
Brooks also reveals that DeWitt will serve as narrator of the flick, which is targeted for a late August production start. According to descriptions of the script, it’ll show the “greed, manipulation and avarice of Hollywood managers and network producers when they get their hands on a runaway hit.” Says the producer, “It’s based on interviews and research, with all of us involved being big fans of the show. I actually was friends with Don Knotts’ son when I was growing up, and I’d go to the ‘Three’s Company’ Friday night tapings.” Knotts, you may recall, played the ever-harried Mr. Furley on the show.

REMEMBERING
NBC announcing plans to air a prime-time concert on the first anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Associated Press reports. First lady Laura Bush will appear on NBC’s Concert for America at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., but no official word yet on who will be performing. ABC and CBS, meanwhile, are both planning news programming for that night.

GOODBYE RAYMOND?
Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal telling reporters that the upcoming seventh season of Ray Romano’s CBS hit could be its last. “I love Les [Moonves, president of CBS], and they’ve been incredibly supportive,” he told Daily Variety. “But when it’s over, it’s over. You don’t want to get repetitive, and I’ve never seen a show get better after seven seasons.”

Sheen ‘Heartbroken’ Over Lowe Leaving
Martin Sheen said he is heartbroken over the impending departure of “West Wing” co-star Rob Lowe, who is quitting the Emmy-winning NBC series over a salary dispute.
“I was shocked and dismayed, frankly,” Sheen told reporters. “And disappointed, but for selfish reasons because we keep talking about the next four years as the next administration.”
But Sheen, who plays President Josiah Bartlet on the Emmy-winning White House drama, isn’t entirely surprised.
“We saw something coming but we didn’t know it was such as it was, you know. We knew there were some contract disputes, but I never get into that with a fellow actor because frankly it’s none of my business,” he said. “Everyone’s entitled to go for whatever they can get. I did, certainly.”
Sheen recently renegotiated his contract to triple his salary to $300,000 per episode, according to Variety magazine.
But the show’s producers, Warner Brothers, refused to increase Lowe’s reported $75,000-per-episode salary. Lowe told The Associated Press Wednesday that the salary dispute spurred his decision to leave his role as White House communications director Sam Seaborn at the end of next season.
“We’re all heartbroken and a bit concerned because we’ve become so close,” Sheen said. “But with Rob and me in particular, I’ve known him since he was a boy. You know, he grew up with my family and I’ve become kind of a Dutch uncle to him all these years. And to have this last three years together, we’ve gotten extremely close.”
Despite the recent conflict, Sheen believes Lowe’s “West Wing” time will help his career.
“He’s been brilliant on the show. I think it’s the best work he’s ever done. And he’s elevated his image to the public to a great level. I just have to let him go and wish him the best. He’s still young and has a big career in front of him,” he said.

Heather Locklear ‘Scrubs’ in for Guest Spot
When he was an executive producer of “Spin City,” Bill Lawrence hired Heather Locklear to be part of the cast. He left the show, however, before her first appearance.
The two will finally work together this fall, when Locklear does a three-episode guest stint on Lawrence’s current show, NBC’s “Scrubs.”
Lawrence casually announced Locklear’s involvement in the show during a session Wednesday (July 24) at the TV Critics Association press tour in Pasadena. Following the session, he elaborated on her role.
She’ll play a “slutty pharmaceutical rep” who gets under the skin of Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), creating a sort of love triangle with Cox and his ex-wife, Jordan (Christa Miller, Lawrence’s real-life wife). Locklear’s episodes will air during November sweeps.
“She’ll be doing very edgy stuff that I don’t think she’s done before,” Lawrence says. “It should be fun.”
Although their paths never crossed on “Spin City,” Lawrence says he’s gotten to know Locklear in recent years and says “She’s a very sweet lady, and I thought it would be fun” to bring her on the show.
Lawrence also says that Miller may have a bigger role on “Scrubs” this season, as she’s leaving ABC’s “Drew Carey Show” after the first two episodes in the fall.

Some Big Stars Have Joined The New Muppet Christmas Movie
NBC has tapped several celebrities for the first ever tv muppet movie, A VERY MERRY MUPPET CHRISTMAS MOVIE. In the movie, Kermit the Frog must try and save the Muppet theater from a Scrooge-like character. Whoopi Goldberg, Joan Cusack, David Arquette, Sir Michael Caine, William H. Macy, Snoop Dogg, Carson Daly, Kelly Ripa, Jon Stewart and Rachel Hunter will all appear in the Christmas movie.

‘The West Wing’ Lets Lowe Go
In the latest behind-the-scenes drama involving the NBC series “The West Wing,” Rob Lowe is quitting his role as White House deputy communications director Sam Seaborn.
Barring some unforeseen twist, his character will be phased out in an episode to air next March, the result of an exit strategy that has already been agreed upon by both parties. The show has just wrapped its third season.
Sources on both sides paint the pending exit as amicable but clearly, money is at the heart of it. The prime reason, said sources, is that Lowe was stung by the unwillingness of the show’s producers to even discuss raising his per-show price of $75,000. This comes right after they tripled Martin Sheen’s salary to $300,000 per episode and last season doubled the salaries of Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer and Bradley Whitford after a protracted salary stalemate that ended when the quartet committed to a seventh season, each getting $70,000 an episode.
That left Lowe the only cast member to not get his first season salary bumped up. Warner Bros. TV, the show’s producer, feels the show has evolved into Sheen’s show, surrounded by an ensemble on equal footing. Sources on the show point out that all of the stars are Emmy-nominated this year except Lowe, who petitioned in the lead actor category, which is TV’s toughest ticket.
They were unwilling to even open pay hike talks with Lowe’s reps, Creative Artists Agency and veteran manager Bernie Brillstein. That left Lowe feeling hurt, after believing that his turn would come. Lowe is expected to wing his way back to features or star in another series. If he does the latter, Lowe, who got one Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations during his “Wing” run, will probably command a higher salary.
The show’s makeup has changed since Lowe signed on for the pilot as the regular cast’s most recognizable name. Back then, he cut a higher price quote that had been established in a previous Paramount TV deal. Sheen at the time was only supposed to serve as a diversion to the drama’s core players on the White House staff. Sheen’s participation grew while Lowe’s scenes have progressively diminished.
Sources on both sides doubted this was another salary posturing exercise, and that the show would survive his exit, even if it does come as WB is working out a new license deal with NBC.