Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

Comedy Central renewed the weekly series Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil for a second season starting July 30 at 1030p. (Cynopsis 5/22) Zap2it.com (5/21)

Sharon Osbourne is hosting the second season of VH1’s Rock of Love Girls: Charm School where it will be Osbourne’s job to give the girls lessons in etiquette, proper manners and fashion. Last year’s host was actress Mo’Nique. (Cynopsis 5/22)

MTV will produce an array of VOD extras around films nominated for MTV Movie Awards this year for affiliates including Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Charter. Look for making of featurettes behind-the-scenes clips, music videos, etc. There will also be a reprise of the best movie spoofs online UGC contest as well as the top nominated films from mtvU’s Best Film On Campus. (Cynopsis 5/22)

New York Times Op-Ed columnist Frank Rich has joined HBO as a creative consultant, and, according to the writer, his job will be “to bring ideas, to vet ideas [on] everything from comedies to documentaries.” Rich, a former film and TV critic for Time magazine, will continue to write his weekly newspaper column, but will not be able to write about HBO or corporate parent Time Warner. (The New York Times 5/22)

Writer, rocker and TV personality Henry Rollins will produce three new “Uncut” documentaries for the Independent Film Channel. The 60-minute specials — which will follow Rollins as he visits post-Katrina New Orleans, Northern Ireland and South Africa — will premiere on the channel and its video-on-demand arm in October. (Broadcasting & Cable 5/21)

Time Warner may use the $9.25 billion payout from its cable unit spinoff to pursue acquisitions of assets like the Weather Channel or Discovery Networks. Also: Time Warner is considered the front runner to merge with NBC Universal. Execs at both companies “are thinking about it.” (Iwantmedia 5/22, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=anYFgGgjI9k0 5/21, http://www.cnbc.com/id/24758945 5/21)

NBCU’s push into iTV includes an integration with Dish Network’s interactive television platform. Dish DVR subscribers will be able to use the one-button trigger on their remotes to request additional info or discount coupons from sponsors advertising on NBCU’s 14 television networks and 10 owned & operated stations. (Cynopsis 5/22)

Subscribers to Cox Communications’ MyPrimetime video-on-demand service in certain parts of the country will be able to receive popular NBC and ABC primetime series such as “Desperate Housewives,” “Lost” and “Medium” at no extra charge. The offering applies to customers in Arizona; Roanoke, Va.; Kansas; and areas of Georgia. It may be expanded this summer to include Fox shows. (CED Magazine 5/21)