I Am A TV Junkie, A Blog For The Clicker Jockey

I Have Already Cast the Lead In Movie Version of Lara Logan's Afghanistan/Iraq Book

The interesting point here is that Lara hasn't written that book yet.

For those outside the US (or too lame to watch the news) Lara is CBS' new Chief Foreign Correspondent, though she's gonna be based in D.C., which is just stupid, btw.

She's done a helluva job covering wars that US media chiefs don't find interesting anymore. Actually, I'm not sure if there's no war coverage because the American people don't care or because big media wants us to take our eyes off the horrific nature of it all.

Anyhow, this is Lara Logan ...

And this is the woman who should play her either on TV or in the movies.

Billie should jump at the chance to do this. I would option anything Lara writes. Billie has the money. If I were her, I would start creating relationships at Simon & Schuster, which I'm guessing would be the publisher of any CBS News reporter's tome.

There's also a personal story going on, it is rumored. Purportedly, Ms. Logan is the center of a love triangle that includes among others CNN reporter Michael Ware (who we love, he's the best) and another reporter. There are rumors of a big blowout between two men in an Iraq safehouse over the lovely Ms. Logan, who can also report her ass off, don't ever sell her short. She's hardly just a pretty face. Braver than I am, for sure.

B&C Report Confirms My Suspicions -- Investigative Journalism Dying on TV

And you know what Randi Rhodes says, "If it doesn't happen on the teevee (emphasis on the first syllable) it doesn't happen in this country."

Marisa Guthrie in Broadcasting & Cable (their cover story this week):

While investigations are far from extinct, few can make the case that the scope and number of reports on network news are not but a shadow of what they once were. In the 1980s and '90s, they were the pride of news divisions and a popular primetime destination. In 1993, the last year that 60 Minutes finished the TV season atop the Nielsen ratings, ABC's Primetime Live was making its name for hidden-camera investigations. Today, the show has no dedicated time slot, and with the recent exception of Diane Sawyer's “Prostitution in America,” it hews toward crime, celebrity profiles and voyeuristic behavior labs. 48 Hours, which began in the late 1980s as a documentary program, has redefined itself as a true crime show. And NBC's Dateline has mostly pared its investigations down to a single gotcha concept such ast he controversial pedophilia sting “To Catch a Predator.”

The decline began in the 1990s when a string of high-profile legal skirmishes sent corporate counsel at the networks into a defensive posture. The actions put network news divisions on notice: If you're going to take on big businesses, keep in mind that they will defend themselves ferociously.

The other thing to keep in mind? The people who want to control the news that comes out about their companies on TV only have to buy a lot of advertising on TV to control said news. In particular, I think that we can chalk up the lack of media oversight on the pharmaceutical industry to the fact that they are the primary supporters of network and cable news.

And, in the very conspiratorial part of my brain, I think they pushed to get permission to advertise on TV just for that purpose.

This is why I get most of my investigative journalism from PBS and the BBC (through the BBC World News America broadcast and the Friday night program Newsnight, which I DVR and the rest of you should all be watching).

In particular, the kind of reporting American Greg Palast does for the BBC (this Newsnight clip after the jump, his 2007 story on African debt and vulture funds) and can't do for the US (because they won't let him do this kind of work) is what I look for on the tube.

Before I go, comments from Lowell Bergman, who works at PBS' Frontline and teaches at Cal Berkeley, from the article:

“What's really in danger is the availability of information in the public interest,” says Lowell Bergman, a veteran of CBS News and 60 Minutes. “That kind of work was never encouraged. You always had to know where the limits were. Now there isn't even a pretense of doing it.”

Bergman, who runs the investigative reporting program at the University of California at Berkeley and continues to work for Frontline, calls investigations an “anti-profit” business.

There is profit, of course. We, the audience, profit. But that's certainly not the profit that the network news divisions are considering in 2008.

Video -- The Alec Baldwin Pilot -- My Casting Suggestions

I gotta give you the clip first or it makes no sense. I've had to put the clip after the jump, but if you're clicking to this particular post, of course this makes no never mind to you.

I never know what needs to be explained and what doesn't.

The picture above of former Lost cast member Ian Somerhalder is there because he's mentioned later. And because he has very engaging eyes.

Two clips and my casting notes after the jump.

Math for Jericho Fans, Part 1 Of Many

Okay, we have an hourlong cancellation, what with Viva Laughlin going down the road we all thought it would, a short trip to ax city. So, starting November 4 we'll have 13 episodes of The Amazing Race, and I have to believe this was the right call for CBS as the network moves into a sweeps month.

If they run concurrently, the 13 eps will end on January 27th. I don't believe they will, though. There are some holidays in the mix you have to pay attention to.

I would guess that if they don't runn all in a row, you'll see the finale run sometime in February. I would guess that the next week, you might actually get to see the first of the seven Jericho episodes that are already in the can for this season.

And down the line, I think Sundays after 60 Minutes in March and early April would be a great place to put these shows.

If Nina Tassler is your boss or friend or colleague or neighbor or even your haircutting client, could you please forward her this post and ask her to comply? I think this schedule gives Jericho the best shot at coming back strong, and certainly there will be a high sampling level for the first ep, which you get the chance to run at the end of February sweeps.

One of the big plot points for the show has to be the Ravenwood storyline, that's the military contractor in the show. They could rerun Lara Logan's interview with Blackwater's Eric Prince that week and then segue right into the Jericho premiere, or do an entirely new story on the contractor situation with comments from Carol Barbee about where the show is taking the Ravenwood storyline and how the events of the day have shaped the story.

I know, filled to the brim with good ideas, huh?

For those of you who are impatient? Chillax! Good things come to those who wait.

As the situation progresses, I will continue to make suggestions like this, just to see what you think. And if you wanna tell me what you think, use the comments. Please, somebody use the comments, it's the loneliest place at this blog.

TV Week: Jericho Could Return Very Soon

James Hibberd at his "Rated" blog at TVWeek.com:

The seven-episode second season has wrapped production and the network is eyeing the show as a potential replacement for one of several time periods that might open up in the coming weeks. In other words, if freshman efforts “Kid Nation,” “Cane,” “Moonlight” or the upcoming “Viva Laughlin” tank in the ratings, CBS is considering firing out “Jericho.”

CBS’ other midseason drama, "Swingtown," is not going to be ready until next year, though network also has “The Amazing Race” and game show “Power of 10” available to fill one-hour slots. CBS scheduling head Kelly Kahl cautioned that the new freshman lineup is performing solidly and that no show is guaranteed the next opening.

“The best thing going for ‘Jericho’ is it’s done and ready to go,” Kahl says. “But it’s too early to tell what time period is going to be available.”

On the current schedule, I think Sundays at 8 (after 60 Minutes) is the best slot available, but of course, Viva Laughlin premieres there this Sunday. And yes, I have seen the pilot, but it wasn't the final cut, which I got yesterday from CBS and have not yet watched.

My big problem with Viva Laughlin is that the performers sing over the original vocal tracks of the songs, and I think that's just so lame.

If I was a Jericho activist (you know, the people who got the show put back on the sked) I would be campaigning for that time slot.

Exec Producer Carol Barbee tells him:

“We have a story broken so it tells a complete story,” she says. “By episode seven you are going to be very satisfied. We packed an entire 22-episode season into seven shows, there’s a lot of mythology answered.”

I'm waiting, right here, so let's get to it.

New Sunday Sit-Comics on Fox Tonight

New Simpsons, New King of the Hill (for those of you who watch that, I've just never managed to catch on) and a special hour-long Family Guy Star Wars parody episode.

Perfect Sunday night TV, nothing too much to think about (unlike that horrible HBO series about those people who have bad relationships and clumsy sex), a few laughs at the expense of your favorite pop culture targets, and it allows one a few good yucks to wash away all the ick from how you feel about the world after watching 60 Minutes on CBS (which has at least one new segment tonight on Iranian President Ahmadinejad, although I think the Garry Kasparov story is a repeat).

Yes, there are people who watch both 60 Minutes and Family Guy religiously.

Well, at least I do.

Wanna See Your Homeland Security Dollars at Work? You Can't, 'Cause They're Not

And I'll link you to the 60 Minutes piece that you should watch that shows you what a fricking sham the no-fly list is.

LINK -- Can't be easier than that, click that word!

I know that most Summer 60 Minutes stories are repeats with updates tacked onto them, but this is one you should really see.

Tonight on 60 Minutes, Mitt Romney Explains His Past v. His Present

Mike Wallace takes on the former Mass. Governor who's running for President, tonight on the only actual network newsmagazine (the others are phonies).

I would promo 60 Minutes more often, but they don't post clips from their interviews as much as they used to, so I have nothing to go with my meandering ramblings. So, I found this at YouTube, which kind of does the trick.

You see, the deal with Romney is that he's made an almost 180 degree turn on social issues from when he ran against Teddy Kennedy for Senate in 1994. This is footage from that debate. If you watch the interview tonight, note the new Romney, and then ask yourself if he has changed his mind or if he's just changing his tune to fit the race:

I know, you're saying, "Yeah, Joe, but that was 13 years ago." Well, whaddya think about this from 2002, when he was last ran for office?

LINK

I think this guy is just one of many people who come out of organized religion who will say just about anything to get elected. Any means to what they consider the appropriate ends. It seems to be something that is taught in church today.

This is shameful. Man of God? Isn't that supposed to mean, among other things, that you don't lie?

If I were a Mormon, I would be embarrassed about this, and him.

Look At Me, I'm a News Producer!

Okay, here's the deal. News Corp., owned by our favorite sinister media character Rupert Murdoch, has a book division, Harper Collins, that paid George Tenet a lot of money to write a book about his experiences being the "slam dunk" in Iraq guy, getting a medal for it, getting trashed by his former bosses after he left ... yada yada you know what happened with the weapons and the meeting in Prague and the aluminum tubes and the "mushroom cloud" and the yellowcake from Niger and all (all not true, btw).

So, the publicist at Harper Collins sets up the big interview for the book at 60 Minutes with Scott Pelley, and in the interview Tenet, much to CBS' delight says very controversial things that are so good not only do they preview it on Katie's struggling newscast, they leak clips to ...

... CNN, and Wolf Blitzer's producer sits Carol Costello down in front of the clips and they watch and fashion a story out of the clips so that it looks like they are bringing you news when all they are really doing is selling George Tenet's book about how they all lied to us about all the war stuff and let's all blame each other now that someone might get to the truth in order to muck up the whole narrative figuring eventually people will just switch over to Flavor of Love Girls Charm School because it's easier to understand.

See what I mean? Let's watch the clips:

FIRST

NEXT

LAST

So, let me ask you this, why didn't George Tenet just do his job and stop this mess when he could have instead of wimping out and selling his failures as a government employee as a book for cash for him and his family?

And everybody wins, except you and me and those people fighting the war, of course.

"60 Minutes" George Tenet Interview Sunday

Here's a clip from this week's 60 Minutes, with Scott Pelley discussing torture with former CIA director George Tenet:

Sounds to me like Tenet isn't denying torture here. He can get really indignant at moments, and it plays great here, but he always says, "We do not torture," like it's a policy statement, not a reportage of fact.

I'm pretty sure at this point that they're all (all cabinet officials in the years since 9/11) saying the same thing, which, as a complete thought, is this:

It is not our policy to torture. No we will not discuss with you the specific techniques that were used on specific people. Why? Because we won't. But, you must remember we were living in tenuous times after 9/11, and since then there have been numerous threats against this nation. What threats? We can't tell you. Those threats have been quashed thanks to various programs that have made this country safer. What programs? We can't tell you.

Followed by the unsaid part that plays in everyone's head:

So yeah, we did torture, because we were all scared to death that if anything else happened on our watch we'd never get control of Washington again where we jack around all the laws to favor the rich people and the corporations and keep our bank accounts growing, which, let's face it, is the new millenium's version of the front end of a Corvette (read the first and second comments there) in the late sixties, something big guys can show off instead of their penises.

Okay, I'm off the soapbox. I just don't like being lied to is all. And this guy got the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Where's mine? Where's yours? We should all get one.