Monthly Archives: May 2011

Once Upon a Time – Youtube Video exclusive

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YOU are among the very first to preview one of ABC’s big budget TV series coming this fall.   “Once Upon a Time” is a fantasy drama with a great cast adn what looks like a clever twist on many of our favorite fairy tales.  Ginnifer Goodwin is “Snow White”.   This is the journalist (!) release from ABC:

Charlie’s Angels – new TV Show Preview

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The rumors … were TRUE!    Charlie’s Angels are back on TV this fall in a new ABC TV series.   The links below go to the preview videos on youtube.  This seems to be  a clever “viral marketing” play by ABC to release the vids to an “exclusive” group of bloggers, probably knowing that many of us will link on up.   This is called “linkbait” in the SEO search industry and when it works it’s a great way to get big free buzz for projects.   In this case I’m happy to help as it helps me understand how Google ranks content at this blog and also … I like Charlie’s Angels!     We’ll see how the new version compares to the movies (which were great) and the 70s version of that show.

Download the Charlie’s Angels video – you will be among the first to see it in all the whole world!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19VFDlCnOXc
CHARLIE’S ANGELS

http://abc.go.com/shows/charlies-angels
http://www.Facebook.com/CharliesAngelsABC
http://www.twitter.com/AngelsABC

PRESS RELEASE  from ABC:

Everyone deserves a second chance.  Even a thief, a street racer and a cop who got in a little too deep.  After all, the three women who solve cases for their elusive boss Charlie Townsend are no saints – they’re angels…Charlie’s Angels.

This big, loud, fun take on the 1970’s smash hit series introduces us to three new angels, all fearless operatives, head-turning beauties and close friends.  There’s Abby (Rachael Taylor) a Park Avenue Princess who became a world-class thief.  Then there’s Kate (Annie Ilonzeh), a Miami cop who fell from grace, losing both her career and her fiance.  Finally there’s Gloria, a disgraced army lieutenant who has a way with explosives.  When one of the angels’ missions ends in Gloria’s tragic death, Charlie persuades them to partner with Gloria’s childhood friend, Eve (Minka Kelly), a street racer with a mysterious past.  They may not know each other yet, but one thing’s for sure–Abby, Kate and Eve will always have each other’s backs.

Leonard Goldberg (the original Charlie’s Angels) and Drew Barrymore (theCharlie’s Angels movies) join forces with Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville) to deliver the adrenaline rush of the season.  Set in scorching-hot Miami, Charlie’s Angels delivers nonstop big screen action.  With the help of Bosley 2.0 (Ramon Rodriguez), their hot, young technical expert, and the guidance of their enigmatic boss Charlie (Robert Wagner), these angels are an unstoppable crime fighting force.

SHORT:
Get ready for the knockout hit of the year.  Charlie’s Angels is back and hotter than ever.  Meet three ex-bad girls who are earning their wings by busting the really bad guys.  Together with legendary producer Leonard Goldberg and Drew Barrymore, Smallville‘s Alfred Gough and Miles Millar re-imagine the popular 1970’s series with more action, more eye candy and more heart than ever before.

CAST
Annie Ilonzeh – Kate Prince
Minka Kelly – Eve
Rachel Taylor – Abby Sampson
Ramon Rodriguez – Bosley
Robert Wagner – Voice of Charlie

CREDITS
Production Company – Sony Pictures Television
Executive Producer – Miles Millar
Executive Producer – Alfred Gough
Executive Producer – Nancy Juvonen
Executive Producer – Leonard Goldberg
Executive Producer – Drew Barrymore
Director – Marcos Siega

Once Upon a Time – Preview of the New TV Series

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I’ve been asked to preview and review the upcoming ABC series “Once Upon a Time” and thought it might be more fun to report reactions  from folks at the blog – please comment below.    I’m glad to see Robert Carlyle find a new gig after Stargate SGU was cancelled.   He’s a fine actor and even better suited to this “older times” theme than to SGU.

You can view the Once Upon A Time preview video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz9VFa7Z6Y0

I’m not sure how exclusive this is, but based on the tiny number of views so far I think YOU and I are among the first to see it!    Woo Hoo.

ONCE UPON A TIME

http://abc.go.com/shows/once-upon-a-time
http://www.Facebook.com/OnceUponATimeABC
http://www.twitter.com/OnceABC

Here’s the Press Release from ABC:

Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (Lost, Tron: Legacy) invite you to a bold new vision of the world where fairytales and the modern day are about to collide.

Anna Swan (Jennifer Morrison) knows how to take care of herself.  She’s a 28-year old bail bonds collector who’s been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby.  But when the son she gave up years ago finds her, everything will change.  Henry (Jared Gilmore) is 10 years old now and in desperate need of Anna’s help.  Henry believes that Anna actually comes from an alternate world… and is Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow White’s (Ginnifer Goodwin) missing daughter.  According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen’s (Lana Parilla) curse, which trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time.  Of course Anna doesn’t believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town.  Concerned for Henry, she decides to stay for a while, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems.  It’s a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close… where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don’t remember who they once were–including the Evil Queen who is now Henry’s foster mother.  The epic battle for the future of all worlds is beginning, but for good to win, Anna will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.

Brace yourself for a modern fable with thrilling twists and hints of darkness.  Brimming with wonder, and filled with the magic of our most beloved fairytales, Once Upon A Time is a fitting follow up to Lost from two master storytellers.

SHORT:
Welcome to a world where fairytales are real.  Anna Swan is like any other 28 year old, until she discovers she’s a lost princess destined to save her world from darkness.  Experience the passion project of executive producers/creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (Lost, Tron).  Once Upon A Time is a thrilling twist of our most beloved stories.

CAST
Robert Carlyle – Rumplestiltskin
Josh Dallas – Prince Charming/John Doe
James Dornan – Sheriff Graham
Jared Gilmore – Henry
Ginnifer Goodwin – Snow White/Sister Mary Margret Blanchard
Jennifer Morrison – Emma Swan
Lana Parilla – Evil Queen/Regina
Raphael Sbarge – Archie/Jiminy Cricket

CREDITS
Production Company – ABC Studios
Executive Producer – Edward Kitsis
Executive Producer – Adam Horowitz
Executive Producer – Steve Pearlman
Executive Producer/Director – Mark Mylod

James Durbin leaves American Idol

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James Durbin was voted off American Idol tonight in what most people would say was a big upset.     Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, and Haley Reinhart are the three remaining finalists.

This makes my American Idol Contestants prediction of a Durbin win … WRONG … but I’m OK with that because I’m now rooting for Lauren, who has the country charm that I hope takes her into the final.   Scotty’s the big surprise for me even though he’s a great singer – I just didn’t think his sort of “overaged kid” style would do so well but he’d obviously a big hit with the American Idol voting demographic – teen girls.

So we’re almost down to the final, and therefore…

THIS IS AMERICAN IDOL!

American Idol Contestants Part II

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Well, I was pretty close with my estimate of which American Idol Contestants would make it until tonight.    We’ve got Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina, James Durbin, and Scotty McCreery where I predicted the first three plus Casey would still be alive in the American Idol Competition.  Jacob Lusk was last weeks victim in the cruel and suspenseful “results” show where contestants are slowly made to squirm while they learn their individual fate as continuing in pursuit of becoming the next American Idol, an honor so great it often almost immediately confers a lifetime of superstardom on the winners – people like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and … umm… Taylor Hicks!   (What, who dat?)

My winner prediction is still the same.   I think James Durbin will take it unless he really falls apart in the last few weeks.    Scotty, Haley, and Lauren all had exceptional performances last week so it’s certainly possible we’ll see what I would call an upset and see somebody other than James win the whole show.

THIS … is AMERICAN IDOL!

Google Chromebook Computer

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Google just announced a new computing platform called “Chromebook” that looks very promising.    Working with partners Samsung and Acer, the new computers will optimize the computing experience for the web, taking advantage of Google’s Android operating system, the Google Chrome browser, gmail, Google documents, Google maps, and the many other great web-centric products Google has cooked up since they began their amazing online journey from obscure search engine to online advertising juggernaut.

More about Google Chromebook at Technology Report

Official Google Blog: A new kind of computer: Chromebook

Intro to Chromebook

Celebrity Salaries from TV Guide

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You thought YOU were overworked and underpaid.  Julie Kavner and Yeardley Smith, the voices of Bart and Lisa on “The Simpsons”, only make $400,000 …. per episode.   So stop your whining, things are tough all over.

Dramas per EPISODE!

  • $550,000 – Kiefer Sutherland “24”
  • $400,000 – Hugh Laurie “House”
  • $400,000 – Mariska Hargitay “Law and Order: SUV”
  • $400,000 – Christopher Meloni “Law and Order: SUV”
  • $390,000 – Marg Helgenberger “CSI”
  • $375,000 – David Caruso “CSI: Miami”
  • $350,000 – Laurence Fishburne “CSI”
  • $325,000 – Mark Harmon “NCIS”
  • $275,000 – Ellen Pompeo “Grey’s Anatomy”
  • $250,000 – Tim Roth “Lie to Me”
  • $250,000 – Kate Walsh “Private Practice”
  • $250,000 – Patrick Dempsey “Grey’s Anatomy”
  • $250,000 – Simon Baker “The Mentalist”
  • $250,000 – Calista Flockhart “Brothers and Sisters”
  • $225,000 – Patricia Arquette “Medium”
  • $175,000 – Tom Welling “Smallville”
  • $150,000 – Jennifer Love Hewitt “Ghost Wisperer”
  • $150,000 – Sally Field “Brothers and Sisters”
  • $150,000 – Chris O’Donnell “NCIS: Los Angeles”
  • $150,000 – LL Cool J “NCIS:
  • $125,000 – Peter Krause “Parenthood”
  • $50,000 – Chace Crawford “Gossip Girl”
  • $50,000 – Blake Lively “Gossip Girl”

Comedy – Per Episode

  • $875,000 – Charlie Sheen “Two and A Half Men” (figure includes ownership stake in the series)
  • $400,000 – Felicity Huffman “Desperate Housewives”
  • $400,000 – Marcis Cross “Desperate Housewives”
  • $400,000 – Teri Hatcher “Desperate Housewives”
  • $400,000 – Eva Longoria Parker “Desperate Housewives”
  • $400,000 – Dan Castellaneta “The Simpsons”
  • $400,000 – Yeardley Smith “The Simpsons”
  • $400,000 – Julie Kavner “The Simpsons”
  • $400,000 – Nancy Cartwright “The Simpsons”
  • $350,000 – Zach Braff “Scrubs”
  • $300,000 – Tina Fey “30 Rock”
  • $300,000 – Alec Baldwin “30 Rock”
  • $275,000 – Julia Louis-Drefus “Old Christine”
  • $200,000 – Patricia Heaton “The Middle”
  • $175,000 – Kelsey Grammer “Hawk”
  • $150,000 – Neil Patrick Harris “How I Met Your Mother”
  • $150,000 – Jay Mohr “Gary Unmarried”
  • $125,000 – Jenna Elfman “Accidentally on Purpose”
  • $100,000 – Courteney Cox “Cougar Town”
  • $50,000 – Joel McHale “Community”
  • $7,500 – Starting salary for player on “Saturday Night Live”

Cable – Per Episode

  • $275,000 – Kyra Sedgwick “The Closer”
  • $250,000 – Denis Leary “Rescue Me”
  • $200,000 – Glenn Close “Damages”
  • $175,000 – Julian McMahon “Nip/Tuck”
  • $150,000 – Holly Hunter “Saving Grace”
  • $135,000 – Jeffrey Donovan “Burn Notice”
  • $75,000 – Thomas Jane “Hung”
  • $75,000 – Jon Hamm “Mad Men”

Reality

  • $15 million per year – Ryan Seacrest
  • $150,000 per episode – Jeff Probst
  • $150,000 per episode – Jon and Kate

Late Night – Per Year

  • $32 million – David Letterman
  • $30 million – Jay Leno
  • $14 million – Conan O’Brien
  • $14 million – Jon Stewart
  • $6 million – Jimmy Kimmel

News – Per Year

  • $15 million – Katie Couric CBS
  • $13 million – Matt Lauer “NBC”
  • $12 million – Diane Sawyer “ABC”
  • $10 million – Meredith Vieira “NBC”
  • $10 million – Bill O’Reilly “Fox News Channel”
  • $7.5 million – Keith Olbermann “MSNBC”
  • $7 million – Larry King “CNN”
  • $5 million – Anderson Cooper “CNN”
  • $3 million – Wolf Blitzer “CNN”
  • $3 million – Chris Matthews “MSNBC”
  • $2 million – Glenn Beck “Fox News Channel”
Source: TV Guide

How “balanced state budgets” … aren’t balanced.

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I’m starting to review the Oregon state budget and realizing how spurious the claim is that balanced budget requirements are why we should not worry much about the state of many state budgets.    Many crises are looming and I’m tired of advocates simply working to protect *their* special interests.   Recipients of public funding should come to the table with more effective use of their tax share or they should be shown the door.

http://www.oregon.gov/DAS/BAM/docs/Budget_Policy/2011-13_GBB.pdf

First, most states effectively rename deficits as “shortfalls”, often scrambling to balance things late in a two year budget process.     Far more important however is the fact that about half of the “total revenues”  in Oregon (and I asssume in most other states), comes from the federal government in the form of grants and other federal to state payments.    Now, the federal government *can* run a deficit, and has been choosing to increase that deficit massively since Bill Clinton left office.   Therefore a LOT of the money we spend as a state is in fact “borrowed money”, borrowed at the federal level from … wait for it … our children!     Thanks kids and young folks for funding the reckless spending of the older generations.  Ironically you aren’t participating much in politics and many of you don’t even realize what’s going on right now as we spend and spend … your money.

Caveat:  Most economists agree that the economy is fragile right now and some major spending by government is needed to continue the bailout and stimulus strategies that appear to have worked well.   I’m not disputing that, but I am suggesting that there will be hell to pay if we don’t start managing government spending far more responsibly than we have in some time.    This means cutting both entitlements and defense and – unless very deep cuts are made soon – raising taxes too.    People who think we can balance things without either huge cuts or substantial tax increases are just foolish.  There’s no easy path after decades of reckless spending.