Conventions

"Next week's annual National Association of Television Producers and Editors Conference in Las Vegas will reflect a syndicated marketplace that is feeling pretty good about its prospects.

Buyers estimate syndicated TV finished the 2007 upfront with a 3% increase from 2006's totals to $2.06 billion. Tightened ad inventory from a robust upfront coupled with the shifts in TV spending brought on by the writers strike could make for some pretty premiums on those cost-per-thousand-viewers metrics."



NEW Forum for Jericho at Sci-Fi Channel



"WonderCon celebrates its 22nd year as Northern California's most popular comics and pop culture event with a return to Moscone Center South on February 22-24, 2008. The February date solidifies WonderCon's status as the first major convention of the year in the United States."

Watch Lost

Dan Shotz Visits Jeritopia

The following is reprinted with permission. Many thanks to Jeritopia and Schumi.

Highlights From Dan Shotz drop-by Visit to Jeritopia

"(This was not a formal scheduled chat and only abbreviated portions of the log have been reproduced here and not in full context.)


So one night, Dan Shotz walks into a bar…

As last week faded into the wee hours, and the thoughts of those revelling in JeriTopia were turning to weekend plans, a familiar name pulled up a stool and sat down in Bailey’s Tavern. Jericho co-executive producer Dan Shotz had dropped by unexpectedly to say hi and shoot the breeze with the fans hanging out in the chat room.

Fans gave Mr. Shotz a warm welcome and quickly made the most of their opportunity to pick his brain with pressing season 2 questions, lingering ones from season 1, and even a few off the wall ones as they came to mind. This wasn’t a scheduled formal chat, and as such an official full transcript will not be published, but there were a few moments worth sharing.

Dan started right off by expressing his thanks for all the hard work everyone has been doing and told folks that the fans would flip over the season 2 episodes. Fans were quick to thank him and let him know they were eagerly awaiting the premiere.

On Season 2…

danshotz


schumi - wanted to stop by and say hello to everyone

nightbird47


hi dan

Xander


hey dan

jjb_md


Thanks for stopping by!

kestral


thanks for stopping by!

danshotz


and thank you guys for the amazing work

schumi07


way cool dan

AKansan


thank you!!

kestral


thank you for an outstanding show!!

sniper101


AMEN!

nightbird47


Thank you for your wonderful work

danshotz


you guys are going to flip when you see these

jjb_md


these what?

schumi07


i can't wait dan

danshotz


i cant even be modest about them... they rock


... the 2 endings…

jjb_md


Dan, if #7 is still being edited, tell them to use the real ending because WE WANT SEASON 3!!!! :)

xwarp


LOL

doratea snickers.

danshotz


i cut both endingss

kestral


yeah...what jjb said

kestral


:)

cingramaol


I heard from Sprague today...she likes the web site. That made my month.

danshotz


but we only want to use one

schumi07


can you just lose one of them?

maybei


yeppers - Season 3!

schumi07


you know - like by accident?

sniper101


Season 3!!!!!

kestral


it could spontaneously combust

cingramaol


Find the woman who erased the Watergate tapes.

danshotz


we were going to try to burn it or just say we forgot to do it

doratea


S3 :)

jjb_md


To Infinity....and BEYOND!

xwarp


ooops.....got caught in the shredder

kestral


Season 3!!

maybei


lol yes

Morgan5318


Yes! Season 3. We want to be celebrating Season 3 at Jerichon next May!

nightbird47


lol

xwarp


and it just sucked it right up

danshotz


We wont need it, right?

AKansan


the Green's dog ate it

cingramaol


well, as I understand it...Jericho is going to be up against SVU reruns and Boston Legal reruns

cingramaol


and local programming on Fox

nightbird47


Maybe Beau ate it

xwarp


LOL

schumi07


not if we have anything to say about it dan

cingramaol


hell, I hope you get 15 million viewers. :)

maybei


lol yeah, beau chewed it

danshotz


greens dog!!!!

maybei


yes for Beau!

When several fans piped up that they had been pleased with CBS’s efforts thus far to promote Jericho, Dan said they keep pushing for more promotion from the network and that there should be a “blitz” of activity as the premiere date nears.

There was also much humorous banter that we wouldn’t be seeing Jericho: The Stage Production. So sadly that means no Jets (Jericho) / Sharks (New Bern) West Side Story rumble (as Dan pondered), no “The hills are alive with the sound of gunfire” or “There's a man in the basement with a ham radio, and the neighbors say that he's CUCKOO... [cuckoo...]” from a Jericho Sound of Music (an amusing offering from JJB_MD, and gratefully no “Viva Jericho” (really C, how could you).


On forgotten dogs…

Dan had a special message for one fan in particular, regarding Beau’s appearance in the “100 Reasons to Watch Jericho” video.

jjb_md runs to the TV when promos air

maybei


Hi Dan!!

AKansan


we're posting every time we see a promo!

schumi07


jjb is like a little jericho puppy

kestral


lol

danshotz


maybei.... the green dog in the 100 reasons was a shout out from me to you

schumi07


YAY may

maybei


thank you so much!!!!

sniper101


nice!

kestral


how cool!!


As fans have embraced Beau into their hearts, there were sadly no reports on whether Beau would ever reappear, Dan did say that Beau’s was actually a she, and her name is Eleanor.

Another tidbit from the pilot that Dan let fans in on was they were originally going to write the old man with the ham radio, Oliver, Johnston’s brother.

Dan had another direct thank you to a fan, and acknowledged XWARP’s for his effort in standing up JeriTopia. Dan: “bill set up a sweet chat room here - nod to xwarp”. Dan had many complimentary things to say about his visit and the fans he found there, and sent email after exiting the chat thanking the members of JeriTopia for such a warm welcome.


On Heather/Jake/Emily…

danshotz


you will love this guys

danshotz


today in a presssss junket

danshotz


they assked about the heather/jake/emily feud

jjb_md


feud???

schumi07


emily - who's emily?

xwarp


oh my

danshotz


lol

maybei


lol

xwarp


LOL

The_Blob hums Gap Band's \You Dropped A Bomb On Me\""

chgo4jericho


lol

doratea


LOL

cingramaol


someone ALWAYS asks about Heather/Jake. I think Ausiello is tired of the questions.

kestral


eh...I'll take Stimi over that any day

cingramaol


(no, it's not me LOL)

danshotz


we told the story of jerichon

schumi07


YAY

The_Blob


Cing, you got all the John Doe's on DVD???

nightbird47


yeah

danshotz


the Debate

xwarp


nice

cingramaol


Blob, I have them from Sci-Fi. I don't know why that show has not been officially released.

AKansan


C won the debate, hands down!

schumi07


it was no debate - C was awesome

cingramaol


The debate was fun. I have offered to reprise.

Dan also let C and the other chatters know that the Heather and Jake thread (H&J) on the CBS Message Board had also been a topic of discussion at the press junket earlier in the day. H&J is on target to hit more than 800,000 views for a single thread before the season 2 premiere airs in February.


On the Season 2 DVDs…

cingramaol


Dan, is the thank-you reel and other such things going to be in the Season 2 DVD set?

cingramaol


Or is that too far down the road?

The_Blob


btw cing, my buddy called off work today to finish watching the DVDs

danshotz


possibly - i am doing four commentariess next week too for the dvd

kestral


Oh wow...

maybei


oh cool!

kestral


DVD season 2????

kestral


yea!!!

cingramaol


I figure...only 7 episodes...lots of room for extras

jjb_md


With only 7 episodes, I would really hope for a LOT of bonus material in the DVD set

jjb_md


great minds....

danshotz


and commentaries for the deleted scenes

danshotz


there will be a ton

maybei


awesome!

nightbird47


cool

Antonicus


cool

jjb_md


yay!

cingramaol


BTW, I wondered why the Black Jack commentary was not included in the first-season set

xwarp


will it have the alternate ending too?

Antonicus


jinx

sniper101


are there going to be any out takes?

danshotz


i agree - ty

danshotz


i dont know what happened there

jjb_md


oh yeah, blooper reel would be fun

cingramaol


and it's gone from Innertube, too. :(

cingramaol


I never did get to hear the darn thing.

danshotz


annoying

danshotz


i will find out

cingramaol


Ditto for the Winter's End commentary, although I was especially keen to hear Black Jack

cingramaol


that was a great show

maybei


yes

AKansan


one of my favorites

danshotz


was heather in blackjack, clarke? :)

maybei


and doing screen shots - OMG, tons of stuff to look at

cingramaol


Is the Pope Catholic?

Dan also let the fans know that there are plans for lots of behind the scenes stuff on the season 2 DVD. Alas however, no word on if this means both the shot endings for s2 will be included. No word however on when season 2 would be available on DVD. He said that most likely depended on the status of season 3. Dan originally the DVD release depended on whether they came back and he was quickly corrected to WHEN by ever hopeful fans. He did add however if there is a season 3, it would come out in the fall.


On has Jericho changed you…

For all the humor and questions about season 2, some of the questions were personal and quite poignant, like the one XWARP put to Dan, asking if Jericho had changed how he thinks he would try to survive:

xwarp


working a story line like this, has it changed your thinking of how you would try to survive if a real jericho occured?

maybei


Xwarp - good idea

danshotz


yes... i thought about what I would need... and then the wife and I got an earthquake kit

The_Blob


good for you dan

danshotz


east coasters forget to do that when they move wesst

hrayton


yup. :) earthquake kits rock!

danshotz


so i have that stuff

xwarp


good deal

danshotz


but no suits

jjb_md


extra shock absorbers???

schumi07


hopefully it includes more than a movie from the 70's

nightbird47


west coast people forget about that too

xwarp


nuts?

danshotz


i will go to set and get lennie's

cingramaol


I've had food and water in the basement since 9/11. And batteries. Lots of batteries.

xwarp


you have bags of peanuts right?

xwarp


LOL

hrayton


lol

Antonicus


lol

sniper101


lol

maybei


lol

chgo4jericho


lol

nibbers


i still got my storable food from y2k

Antonicus gets his bottle of scotch out and purs himself a shot

danshotz


the press asked uss that today

Antonicus


pours*

danshotz


about the nuts... they think we got them

jjb_md


we get heavy snow and power outages in the mid-Atlantic at times.... good to have food, water, batteries, even a genny

maybei


oh how funny

danshotz


we never got peanutss

sniper101


yes JJB

danshotz


the network did - we got those sweet water bottles

On a more pressing current issue, Dan said the strike is really tough “but great for our little show that could”. He went on to say that they really deserve it and that hard work really does pay off, and while the strike is hard on them, everyone was doing well, and they are all excited to see the new episodes air. That is what’s keeping them all going.


Final thoughts…

After just over an hour, it was finally time for Dan to leave. Everyone made sure to get in some final best wishes, and Dan had some final thoughts to share with those present.

danshotz


let me say one thing

danshotz


these episodes are so strong and episode 7 is unlike any episode on tv

xwarp


yes

doratea


Can't wait.

Starry_Nite


wow, OMG I can't wait! Less than a month to go!

danshotz


they better bring us back

schumi07 sitting on edge of seat until April

cingramaol


damn skippy

chgo4jericho


they will!

ushi007


wait

sniper101


Season 3!!!!

nightbird47


is it feb 12 yet???

danshotz


keep up the hard work... thank you thank you thank you

jjb_md


THANK YOU!

doratea


Thank you. :)

sniper101


thank you Dan!!

Morgan5318


Thank you, Mr. Shotz, for everything you, the cast and crew have given us.

maybei


thank you Dan!!!

sniper101


Jericho rocks!

jjb_md


Thanks DAN!

Starry_Nite


Yes, thank you!

cingramaol


Thank you, Dan.

nightbird47


we couldn't be here if you guys hadn't done such great work

Morgan5318


Okay, everyone, start buying Power Ball tickets! We win the lottery, we can fund Season 3!

cingramaol


Great to see you here.

schumi07


and jerichon morgan

Starry_Nite


we can buy CBS!

Starry_Nite


just have Jericho on all the time, every night LOL

nightbird47


lol

jjb_md


The Jericho Channel

Starry_Nite


LOL jjb

schumi07


J-TV

nightbird47


without wearing out dvd's

danshotz


thank you for ssaying that - i have never been so proud of anything in my life (except convincing my wife to marry me)

Morgan5318


Lol

xwarp


lol

Morgan5318


She married a very talented guy. :)

sniper101


lol

nightbird47


lol

danshotz


Night everyone... Happy New Year... Year of Jericho

With that, Dan was gone. But he clearly enjoyed his visit to JeriTopia and agreed to come back again sometime to sit down with fans for a more formal Q/A session when the air date gets closer. His only request for the next chat: “Can the whole conversation be about three things: beau/Eleanor... Heather... the lighter from 14”.

And seeing that the cast & crew knows about some even the most unusual things that intrigue Jericho fans, means all the world to them.



(chat highlights provided by schumi)

Jericho: Moonves Optimistic

"CBS Corp. Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves predicted advertising revenue will increase this year and doesn't see signs of a recession in that market.

Moonves said in an interview today in New York that while he's concerned about the economy, he feels ``very good'' about the fundamentals of CBS's business.

CBS, owner of the most-watched U.S. television network, is among the media companies most vulnerable to a recession, because 73 percent of sales come from advertising, Merrill Lynch & Co. analyst Jessica Reif Cohen said yesterday. The network will attract advertisers, Moonves told Bloomberg Television.

``Even during harder times, the network, which is our bread and butter, still remains a very significant place where advertisers go and is almost recession-proof,'' Moonves said.

CBS declined $1.33, or 5.8 percent, to $21.55 at 12:49 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has dropped this week amid a global sell-off of equities.

The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by 0.75 percentage point yesterday, the most in 23 years. The S&P 500 fell to a 16-month low after the Fed's emergency reduction failed to convince investors the U.S. will avoid recession.

Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne reduced his estimate for advertising spending growth to 3.2 percent from 5.4 percent today, citing slowing economies.

Broadcasters have also suffered from an 11-week-old strike by TV and movie writers that forced them to air reruns."

Bringing Guests To Jerichon

I got up this morning and was checking my email and realized someone had sent me a link to a thread on the CBS board. I got my coffee and wandered over to see what was happening.

The first post is from Chesterkitty saying,"If any fans are willing to donate frequent flyer points to the Guardians Of Jericho, we can then use these to help us bring the guests to Oakley."

I think we are all aware that the Guardians of Jericho do not grow money on trees.
The response from Thurbers is a clear one and I certainly agree with it.

"Despite limited hotel space in Oakley, increased attendance for the con is a must. One of the ways this will happen is with guests directly associated with the show", says Thurbers.

Thurber's main point is summed up nicely, "In some cases the value to the Con may be obvious. For example: as many here know I'm a huge Heather fan, an appearance by Sprague would probably have me searching the couch for change to help me attend. OTOH an appearance by Skeet or Lennie would probably have a lot more people searching among their cushions. Now much as I wish the GOJ board had that kind of choice to make, I'm sure they are faced with less obvious decisions. The choice between a writer/producer and a guest star, or production person needs more thought. Who are the fans going to recognize and travel to see? What are they doing at the Con?"

This, to me, says it all. Who will pay to see whom? Who do fans want to see? Thurbers makes the point: "Another hypothetical situation, a staff writer who is willing to give a presentation/question and answer session is probably a bigger draw then say an autograph session with the actor who played Mitchell. Less hypothetical lets take the two announced guests, IMHO, Mike Loomer who has been with the show and on the set for two seasons, is bringing items for 'show and tell', and is excited to mingle with fans would probably be a bigger draw for fans, especially new fans, then Shaun. Don't get me wrong, I love Shaun, but he is not directly attached to Jericho, doesn't have as many behind the scene stories to share, and with his radio show there is easier access to him outside of the Con. If you have enough miles for one roundtrip flight that would be how I would decide. But how does the GOJ plan on making these kinds of decisions?"

Knowing Shaun, for example, I'm willing to bet he'd be agreeable to paying his own way so as to ensure that someone from the Jericho cast/crew could attend. Others might feel the same. While the radio broadcast would certainly be welcomed by fans who could not attend it does not bring cash in to pay for the people directly connected to Jericho. What's a broadcast without special guests?

In the end Thurber's question ("But how does the GOJ plan on making these kinds of decisions?") seems in need of a response.

Jericho Comes To Sci-Fi

"One night before CBS starts the second season of Jericho, Sci-Fi begins repeats of the first season. There will be four episodes beginning at 7pm Eastern, taking the place of the usual Star Trek: Enterprise showings. The following week, Enterprise cuts back to three episodes, and Jericho will air one episode at 10pm."



"Even as their supply of new programs dwindles during the months-long writers' strike, major TV networks continue to try to capture online viewers.

Streaming free full-length episodes on their own websites was just the beginning. Episodes from ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC are showing up on an assortment of sites, from big destinations such as AOL to newcomers Veoh and MeeVee.

Signs are that time spent watching video — not just snacks à la YouTube, but full episodes — is increasing. The number of broadband users who watched full shows online weekly doubled in 2007 from 8% to 16%, says market research firm Horowitz Associates.

Embracing the Web is "an acknowledgement that this is real (and networks) have a business model and can monetize it and make it part of their growth," Howard Horowitz says.

By giving consumers online access, networks have learned they can reinforce viewer devotion. "This is mostly driven by TV audiences who missed (an episode) and want to watch it on their computer," says Shelly Palmer, author of Television Disrupted: The Transition From Network to Networked TV. "I don't think NBC or ABC is caring where you watch as long as they can count on you."

Writer's Strike: New Video

"Broadcast TV was always the place to go for multicourse banquets of programming -- anywhere from 13 to 20 or more weeks of your favorite dramas and comedies. Thanks to the writers strike, however, network TV is looking like a nibbler's delight: eight snackable episodes of "Lost," just a taste of "Terminator".

he Writers Guild of America action has forced shorter story arcs on networks and viewers; had writers been available, of course, viewers would be watching a full slate of "24," in which each episode represents one hour in a 24-hour day. A sense is evolving, however, that shorter might be better going forward and that the strike could permanently alter the way TV is programmed and sold.

"A new model that has a continuous season with continuous new programming would benefit all," said Chuck Bachrach, exec VP-director of media communications at independent agency RPA."



NEW Video From RubberPoultry

Little Random Things

When Rich at Copywrite Ink tagged me to write 8 random things about me I had no idea how it would explode. I tagged 4 people then went to RadioFreeJericho and tagged everybody.

Terocious tagged folks on the CBS board and the others tagged folks too so the end result should be quite interesting. For now here are three to read:


Amy Vernon talks about what she knows best.


Midori Miller really made me laugh with hers. She is hilarious.


Terocious is always full of surprises. Very interesting post.


Thank you all for being such good sports!!

Suzanne Pleshette: A Tribute

I normally take Sundays off from blogging but I couldn't let the death of one of my favorite actresses go unnoticed. Thanks for the memories.


"Suzanne Pleshette, the husky-voiced star best known for her role as Bob Newhart's sardonic wife on television's long-running "The Bob Newhart Show," has died at age 70.

Pleshette, whose career included roles in such films as Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" and in Broadway plays including "The Miracle Worker," died of respiratory failure Saturday evening at her Los Angeles home, said her attorney Robert Finkelstein, also a family friend.

Pleshette underwent chemotherapy for lung cancer in 2006.

In a 1999 interview, Pleshette observed that being an actress was more important than being a star.

"I'm an actress, and that's why I'm still here," she said. "Anybody who has the illusion that you can have a career as long as I have and be a star is kidding themselves."

Jake And Heather

"The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind. ~William Blake"


Opinions do change and mine did so last night while watching old episodes of Jericho. I paid close attention to Jake, Emily, and Heather and realized I have been wrong. Jake needs Heather.

No offense to Ashley Scott who portrays Emily because she is a fine actress. I'm also told she is a warm, giving person. It's just that Jake and Heather make a much better couple.

So, for all you Jake and Heather lovers--I'm on your side now. Clarke, I hope you find this amusing. You already believed this, huh?



"The Internet's most comprehensive site
devoted to actress Sprague Grayden
with biography, career history, pictures,
screenshots, and links.

(And we've only just begun.)"