Supernatural: Sera Gamble

"US paranormal drama series Supernatural has become a cult hit since it first hit TV screens in 2005.

Sera Gamble is the supervising producer and writer on the show.

She discussed what it is like working to a TV budget, the impact of the writers' strike - and why writing horror is so much fun.

Warning: This story contains plot spoilers."



"The drama around the possible defection from Paramount of the cinematic powerhouses behind DreamWorks is headline-grabbing - but it's only a distraction from what must really be driving Sumner Redstone crazy: In tough times for media giants, Viacom and CBS are doing even worse than their peers.

And yet, even if you conceded that Redstone was right strategically, you'd have cause to wonder if he got the timing or execution wrong. (As Redstone knows better than most, the market can't only be right when you are winning.) You'd also wonder how much of a cloud episodes like the intense scrutiny of Dreamworks' future cast over Redstone's empire, perhaps overshadowing other bright spots such as the improved year Paramount is having overall."

CBS: Moonves Out ?

"Favored sons and daughters float into Viacom/CBS mogul Sumner Redstone's life like sunshine after rain. Unfortunately, after a pleasant year or two, they usually get thrown right out again (including his actual sons and daughters).

A couple of quarters ago, Sumner was positively over the moon about CBS (CBS) CEO Les Moonves. But that was before CBS's stock sucked wind for another six months, Moonves gave himself a $37 million raise, and Viacom (VIAB) CEO Philippe Dauman gradually eclipsed his rival to become the apple of Sumner's eye.

The key sign Moonves's days are numbered? Yesterday, Sumner killed Viacom's deal with CBS's Showtime, announcing that it would form its own pay channel."



"The bad news for CBS News began last week with several days of speculation about the future of its anchor, Katie Couric. Then came word on Monday that the network would not get the opportunity to present a Democratic primary debate in North Carolina. On Tuesday CBS received ratings results that put an exclamation point on its troubles: the “CBS Evening News” recorded the worst five-night run in its history last week."

Is The Internet Too New ?

"The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, representing the major studios, says the Internet is too new to value. Like home video 20 years ago, the AMPTP doesn't want to set residuals until the studios can establish viable business models for Internet content. But its arguments seem disingenuous.

If there's no money in online content now, why did Viacom sue YouTube for $1 billion, accusing Google of illegally profiting off clips of its shows? WGA supporters compiled damning clips of CEOs like News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch and Viacom's Sumner Redstone trumpeting the current and future revenue their firms earn from Internet broadcasts.

On its website, the AMPTP states that writers want a 700% increase in their download residuals. That's true. The writers are currently getting the 22-year-old 0.3% rate, and they're asking for the original 2.5%.

The AMPTP says it offered writers a cut of streaming revenue. That's also true, but the WGA counters that the AMPTP proposed no residuals until six weeks after the episode went online. In other words, the time when the most number of people would likely watch that episode, and when the network would earn the most from it. "

Jericho Auction and Midori Miller

Hollywood Charity Auction

This package contains:

* Set Visit for Two (2) to watch production of JERICHO!
* Meet the cast, take photos
* Filmed in Van Nuys, CA (Los Angeles)
* Must take visit BEFORE September 20, 2007
* Tax Deduction for every dollar over $1000 bid


" We Are A Nielsen Family"-- Excellent article
"Here in the US (and 40 other countries), for the last 60+ years, Television Ratings have been managed by the Nielsen Media Research company. They have a special magic sauce that let's them calculate "Reach" - the number of unique viewers for any show at any time. There's lots of good details on this at Wikipedia."


Go here to read one of the best blog articles I've ever seen about Jericho. I was very surprised when I found it because it's a real estate blog by Midori Miller. Be sure to check out the photo on the right. Thanks Midori. Hope you'll write more like this.

More treats to come for 'Jericho' fans

"Sumner Redstone's move to drop Shari as the heir to his media empire has created deep wounds."
Article about the Redstone family feud.