Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: National Hockey League, NHL, Nickelodeon, Nielsen Media Research, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, SpongeBob SquarePants, Stephen Hillenburg
A U.S. district judge in California has dismissed a lawsuit filed by an artist who claimed that he created the original cartoon character that eventually became the gold mine that is Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants. The artist, Troy Walker, drew a cartoon strip in 1991 that starred a “Mr. Bob Spongee,” but the judge found that Stephen Hillenburg, the creator and executive producer of the Nick show, first drew the now-famous SpongeBob in 1989. (CBS 5 (San Francisco)/Associated Press 5/14)
FOX will be-bop again when So You Think You Can Dance returns for season four with a two-night season premiere on May 22 at 8p and May 28 at 8p. (Cynopsis 5/14)
Comcast-owned sports network Versus scored a major victory this week with its coverage of the NHL’s Eastern Conference playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. According to Nielsen Media Research, a game played on May 11 earned a 1.7 household rating — the channel’s highest-rated telecast ever. Multichannel News (5/13)
Disney’s ABC will introduce only two new series in the fall, in a schedule the network admits was severely affected by the 100-day Hollywood writers strike. “We certainly saw the affect,” says ABC Entertainment boss Stephen McPherson. “People found other things to do.” (http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080513/tv_new_season_abc.html 5/13)
The CW will roll out its fall schedule early starting September 1, about three weeks ahead of the other networks. (Cynopsis 5/14)
For MTV’s 21st season of The Real World, production and action will head to Brooklyn, New York. MTV ordered 12 one-hour episodes of The Real World: Brooklyn which will debut in first quarter 2009. (Cynopsis 5/14)
CBS announced renewals for four series: How I Met Your Mother, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Rules of Engagement and The Unit. (Cynopsis 5/14)
Actor Donnie Wahlberg will co-produce and is expected to star in a crime drama for TNT that is tentatively titled “Morse Code.” The story is about a war hero who becomes an agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Boston. (The Hollywood Reporter 5/14)
NBC Universal’s Bravo, with shows such as “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “Working Out,” was recognized as the country’s most gay-friendly company in a survey by Prime Access and PlanetOut. Apple was the runner-up, followed by two other cable nets: Showtime and HBO. (The Hollywood Reporter 5/13)
Starz Entertainment will launch its fifth high-definition channel in July. Early theatrical offerings on the subscription service, to be called Encore HD, will include “Cars,” “The Guardian” and “Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby.” (TVWeek.com 5/13)
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
