Update on the NFL Network-Comcast story

The Friday May 1 column I wrote in the Register was an early-run preprint, so this Thursday afternoon update did not make it. Comcast now says:


“Comcast and the NFL are engaged in productive discussions toward a new agreement for NFL Network carriage on Comcast. NFL Network will continue to be carried on Comcast systems past tonight’s scheduled expiration of the current contract while both sides continue these productive discussions. We are both working to find a solution that works for NFL fans and Comcast’s customers.”

Norris of NPR honored

NPR’s Michele Norris, host of the afternoon newsmagazine All Things Considered, has been named “Journalist of the Year” by the National Association of Black Journalists, it was announced this week.

Schwanbeck gets Emmy nod for TV news film

Karin Schwanbeck of Cheshire, assistant professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, has been nominated for a regional Emmy Award for her documentary film “Deadlines and Dollars,” by the Boston/New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
The documentary, previewed in the Register, offers a critical examination of local TV news and how story coverage is affected more often by profit and efficiency, rather than by meaningful stories with a direct impact on viewers' lives.

Also, Fox 61 has received 23 nominations, more than all other news organizations in Connecticut and 5 more nominations than WFSB, WTNH and WVIT combined, the station said.


New Haven filmmaker Karyl Evans was nominated for 3 Emmy Awards for her CPTV documentaries.

The Emmy Awards ceremony will be held on May 30th in Boston

Will Ferrell on "Man vs. Wild"

Bear Grylls with Will Ferrell in an upcoming "Man Vs. Wild" on Discovery Channel. It will air the first week of June, in conjunction with Ferrell's theatrical release of "Land of the Lost." Everything must be synergy marketing these days.

Matalin on CNN

This is why I say that CNN tries harder to be balanced than Fox News. A lot harder.

Mary Matalin, a top Republican strategists, has signed on to serve as a CNN political contributor. She will appear on programs across the network including Anderson Cooper 360°, State of the Union with John King, and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, says CNN in a release Friday.

ABC renewals for fall

From ABC:
Series “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “The Bachelor,” “Brothers & Sisters,”
“Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,”
“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Private Practice,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty” and “Wife Swap” Received Early Pick-ups for the 09-10 Season on Friday.

In photo: Cast members of the hit series, "Lost" together with the cast of “Ace of Cakes,” celebrated the show's 100th episode with a cake cutting ceremony on location in Oahu, Hawaii. "Ace of Cakes" provided the cake for the "Lost" 100th episode milestone which airs WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Here's an upbeat application for iPhone

From the folks who bring you "Life After People" on History channel:

History has announced the launch of its first iPhone and iPod Touch application: the Life After People Photo Ager. It is a free application, available now in the iTunes application store, and it allows users to “age” images, save them and share them with friends. History’s new Life After People series premiered last night and airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.

Wow, what fun, eh?

John Madden retires

Venerable football announcer John Madden is retiring, it was announced Thursday.
His statement:
Madden issued the following statement today:

It's time. I'm 73 years old. My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall. I have two great sons and their families and my five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I'm home and, more importantly, when I'm not...

It's been such a great ride... the NFL has been my life for more than 40 years, it has been my passion - it still is. I appreciate all of the people who are and were such an important part of the most enjoyable, most fun anyone could have... that great life with the teams, the players, the coaches, the owners, the League... my broadcasting partners Pat and Al... the production people and the fans...is still great... it's still fun and that's what it makes it hard and that's why it took me a few months to make a decision.

I still love every part of it - the travel, the practices, the game film, the games, seeing old friends and meeting new people.. but I know this is the right time.

Morning moves at Fox-61

From WTIC-61 in Hartford:
On Monday, Connecticut viewers will wake up to Joy Lim Nakrin staying with viewers an hour longer as her anchor duties expand from a half-hour at 4:30 a.m. to include the 5 a.m. - 6 a.m. hour in which she will co-anchor with Logan Byrnes. Weekend Anchor Sarah French will make the move to weekdays and join the morning team as a co-anchor with Logan from 6 a.m. – 8 a.m. French will also anchor the 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. hour with Byrnes and Rachel Lutzker.
Lim Nakrin came to Fox 61 to anchor and produce the 4:30 a.m. – 5 a.m. segment during The Fox 61 Morning News expansion in August 2008. She relocated to Connecticut from Singapore where she was an anchor for ESPN-STAR Sports broadcasting to 25 Asian countries.

Astaire-Rogers films on Comcast

From Comcast:
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are among the most successful and well-known dancers in American history. Together, this dancing and acting duo made ten films. To this day, "Fred and Ginger" remains an almost automatic reference for any successful dance partnership. Many classical dancers and choreographers acknowledge their importance and influence on dance today. Now, you can see what they were all about – Comcast has ten films featuring Astaire and Rogers available now including, Shall We Dance, Swing Time and Top Hat. So check out the pair that has inspired the dance craze of today On Demand in the “Movies & Events” folder under “Movie Collections.”

Kutner's suicide on "House"

Fans were stunned Monday night when Kal Penn's character Dr. Kutner was killed off in a suicide. Published reports today reveal that it was Penn who asked out of the show because (and here's the more shocking part) he is going to be associate director in the White House office of public liaison in real life!
Kal Penn will obviously be president someday. We miss Kutner, however.
Says Fox:
Fans Can Participate in Special Online Remembrances at fox.com/kutner
FOX has launched a special online memorial at fox.com/kutner to give viewers an opportunity to remember “Dr. Lawrence Kutner” (Kal Penn), whose unexpected suicide occurred on last night’s episode of HOUSE.
Features of the site include a video tribute to Kutner featuring music composed by Hugh Laurie, Kutner’s obituary, messages posted by Princeton Plainsboro coworkers and a link to the Kutner memorial Facebook page. On the Facebook page, fans have the opportunity to leave personal messages remembering the character, view photos, video clips, as well as “grab” his hospital ID to post on social networking sites and their personal blogs.
Additionally, the HOUSE homepage at fox.com/house will have a new look in observance of this somber storyline.
HOUSE supports the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and in conjunction with the show’s support, fans can purchase a “House-ism” t-shirt (with proceeds benefiting NAMI) at housecharitytees.com or nami.org. For information about mental health issues or for more information about NAMI, please visit nami.org.

Peabody Awards announced

Just-announced Peabody Awards go to:
SNL for its election-season brilliance (Tina Fey)
Lost
the New York Times Web site for its sound and video experiments, which include Yale's Cynthia Farrar and "Purple States" campaign coverage.
John Adams
Entourage
NBC Olympics
CNN campaign coverage
ABC's Hopkins
Breaking Bad (Bryan Cranston is great)
Turner Classic Movies
Onion News Network
You Tube