Swimming the Channels

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps set a new world record by winning 8 gold medals at this summer's Beijing games. With such newfound fame, he's a natural choice of host for Saturday Night Live, which opens its 34th season this coming Saturday, September 13 at 11:30 PM Eastern/Pacific.

But -- is he funny? After a day spent yesterday in run-throughs of this weekend's sketches, Lorne Michaels says yes. "Michael’s been great," Lorne told a conference call of TV critics this afternoon. "And no matter what happens, they can’t take those medals away. You can tell right away by the way people laugh at the material. There’s no question about Michael getting it, about being funny and knowing what to do in the piece. He’s not suddenly going to be a professional sketch player, but he’ll do just fine."

For his part, Michael admits to having a sarcastic side that only his closest circle of friends normally gets to see. And so, which does he find more nervewracking, we wanted to know: the thought of performing comedy live in front of millions, or as he did in Beijing, swimming live in front of billions? "I was nervous coming in here [to SNL], and had no idea what to expect," Michael admitted on the phone this afternoon. "But after the first few read-throughs yesterday, I started getting into it and warming up a little bit. I felt completely confident yesterday, and I'm feeling good today. We'll run through things in the next few days before Saturday, and so I’m confident with what’s coming up. But I’m probably more nervous doing this than I was swimming in Beijing, I’ll tell you that."

A devotee of the movie Tommy Boy and its SNL-born star Chris Farley, as well as Adam Sandler, Phelps says he's long been a fan of the show -- that is, on the rare occasion where he's been able to stay up to see it. When he learned of his SNL gig, Michael reached out for advice, to fellow Tonight Show guest J.B. Smoove, and to Ashton Kutcher, whom he met through Demi Moore in Los Angeles and who offered his help. Thus prepared, this weekend, he says, he'll be honored to step out on that famous stage, following so many iconic performers who have gone before him.

When he does, we learned today, he may be playing Aquaman (Lorne confirms that this is indeed a sketch in the works, but that like anything mentioned today, it could be cut by Saturday for lack of time). He will very likely be parodying his own life and Olympic persona, complete with high-calorie diet, clingy swimsuits and Amy Poehler in a dark wig as his mom. And, if cast member Kristen Wiig is able to follow through on her "threat," he can expect costumes with lots of wigs of his own -- and very few shirts. So, is Michael game, one reporter asked, to give the girls [and the boys!] a thrill? "It's all in good fun, and if it happens, it happens," he answered laughing. "I'm just along for the ride."


In other SNL news revealed on today's call:

• The format of the upcoming Thursday night primetime SNL specials will be based on Weekend Update -- but don't rule out seeing any sketches, too. "They'll start with an Update base and work out from there," Lorne revealed. Regarding sketches, "I think there'll be something. If we're directly following the debate, we'll do the debate. Whatever the best half hour to put on, we'll put on. We won't save anything for Saturday that will play better on Thursday."



• With all the obvious reports of Sarah Palin's uncanny resemblance to former SNL cast member, and now 30 Rock star/showrunner, Tina Fey, will Tina be returning for any surprise appearances as the Republican VP candidate? Lorne at first cagily dodged the question. "There are discussions," he finally admitted on follow up. "They are ongoing."



• Traditionally almost each year, new cast members and featured players are added to SNL -- and this year is no exception. Bobby Moynihan, whom Lorne called "really talented," will join as a featured player at the beginning of this season, and there very well may be more additions by the end -- particularly of women. With Amy Poehler leaving to have her baby this fall -- a departure Lorne calls "a devastation" and seems to be in denial about, because he says he hasn't yet planned how to replace her on Update or elsewhere -- the show will soon be in need of some new ladies.



• Speaking of the ladies, it's very likely SNL is soon going to be needing a Michelle Obama -- if not in the White House, then at least in the latter weeks of the election. Lorne has revealed that he's hoping to lure back former cast member Maya Rudolph to play the part.

Saturday Night Live
Season 34 premiere
Saturday, September 13
11:30 PM Eastern/Pacific
NBC

Radio Recap, August 20, 2008

It's time for a RADIO RECAP
"Must Hear TV" on "The Frank DeCaro Show" on Sirius OutQ 109
Wednesdays, 1-2 PM


In news from today's "Must-Hear TV" report...

• NBC continues to brag about their ratings for the Olympics. In the first 10 days of the games, 196 million people have tuned in -- more than 11 million more viewers than Athens at that point in 2004.


These Beijing games have provided NBC with what they're calling "the most dominant primetime week in PeopleMeter history." That is, since Nielsen began measuring ratings via an electronic set-top device, around 21 years ago.

The other fun bit of trivia the network has released is that these Olympic games have provided for NBC's top Saturday night telecast since... well, that part's confusing. Originally, they said since a February 24, 1990 telecast of Empty Nest (and that night's episode wasn't even particularly special.) Now, the latest press release says it was that night's Golden Girls which was the previous ratings champ. So which one is correct? Golden Girls was definitely always the more popular show of the two, but Empty Nest had a later time slot, and thus greater ratings potential. The controversy rages...



• It's official: replacing William Petersen on CSI this fall will be... Laurence Fishburne. After Petersen announced this summer that, after 8 seasons, he would be leaving the show, the race to replace the lead actor on one of TV's top shows was on. Petersen's character Gil Grissom will be phased out slowly over the beginning of this upcoming season, and Fishburne will debut in episode 9. As has been reported, he'll be playing an academic type who identifies a DNA marker for a propensity for violence, and soon discovers that marker in his own genetic makeup. The idea is so new with CSI's head writers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar that they don't even have a name for him yet. On the conference call for critics in which I participated yesterday, one guy suggested they call him "Professor Morpheus." Fishburne, who seemed to have a good sense of humor about himself and even brought up his role as Cowboy Curtis on CBS' long-ago PeeWee's Playhouse, laughed.



• And in other casting news, Fishburne's Tuskegee Airmen costar Courtney B. Vance has a new primetime gig as well. It had already been announced that Vance's real life wife, the fabulous Angela Bassett, would be joining the cast of ER as a regular for its 15th and supposedly final season. Now, Vance is set to appear as well as Bassett's TV hubby, too. No word on how many episodes he'll do or when they'll air -- only that he has a "multi-episode story arc" as new character Russell Banfield.



• More 90210 news -- or make that, no more news. That's because the CW has decided not to preview the show for critics before its September 2 debut. (9/02 -- get it?! Too bad it's not 2010!)
  
  Now normally, such secrecy is not a good sign, showing that a network is nervous about potential bad reviews. But here's what CW and Paramount had to say on Monday in a joint press release:
  

  The CW and our studio partner CBS Paramount Network Television have made the strategic marketing decision not to screen "90210" for any media in advance of its premiere. We're not hiding anything . . . simply keeping a lid on 90210 until 9.02, riding the curiosity and anticipation into premiere night, and letting all our constituents see it at the same time.

  So what does this really mean for potential patrons of the Peach Pit? You'll just have to tune in a week from Tuesday and find out.
  
  
• And if you're starved for entertainment during these lean, last days of summer, remember that VH1 is debuting three new series tomorrow, August 21. First up at 9 PM is The Fabulous Life, which as the network press release says, "is spotlighting the hottest trends and names out there." At 10 PM is Glam God with Vivica A. Fox. It's a reality show search for the next great celebrity stylist, with sought-after stylist Philip Bloch and US weekly's Melanie Bromley joining Vivica on the judges' panel. But only Ms. Fox gets her name in the title -- SNAP!
  
  Finally, at 11 PM, it's The Cho Show, which Margaret has described, including during her visit with Frank on the air recently, as a hybrid "reality sitcom." I guess that means that while the situations may be contrived for television, the dialogue and reactions are real. As Frank pointed out, maybe if the cameras hadn't been rolling, it might not have been that imperative for Margaret to get an anal bleaching.
  
  
  But just in case you can't wait until tomorrow night for The Cho Show, VH1's sister channel Logo has uploaded the show's premiere episode to its web site here.

And you callers asked...

Brian in Toledo: You sure are a big fan of the British shows! I've heard about the new, rather explicit teen drama Skins on BBC America, but haven't seen it yet. It premiered this past Sunday, August 17 at 9 PM -- and apparently had to be cleaned up and bleeped for American TV. You can get more show info from Skins' official site.

Trucker Sharon: Thanks for your questions! Grey's Anatomy begins season 5 with a 2-hour premiere on Thursday, September 25 at 9 PM Eastern. Seasons 1-3 are already on DVD, and Season 4 will be released on Tuesday, 9/9. Here's the "Starter Kit" ABC has put together to get you up to speed on Grey's storylines.




And as for In Plain Sight, USA network announced back in July at the Television Critics' Convention that Mary McCormack and the rest of the feds will be back for a second season of 16 episodes sometime in 2009. Production starts in October in Albuquerque, where the show is set.

Well that's it for me -- my theme music is playing me out. Tune in next Wednesday for the next installment of...

"Must Hear TV!"

Radio Recap, August 13, 2008

It's time for a RADIO RECAP
"Must Hear TV" on "The Frank DeCaro Show" on Sirius OutQ 109
Wednesdays, 1-2 PM


In news from today's "Must-Hear TV" report...

• The latest word out of NBC is that the Beijing Olympics are on track to be the most watched games in history. As of this afternoon, the network is saying that total viewership for Beijing in these first 5 days has reached 168 million people – that’s nearly 15 million more than Athens in 2004.
  
  Monday night’s coverage has been so far the highest rated night of the games. As Michael Phelps worked towards a new record for the most Olympic medals ever won, his triumph reached 82 million total viewers, posting a 19.9 rating and 34 share. (34 share is HUGE – that means of all television sets that were on at the time, over 1/3 were tuned to NBC’s Olympic coverage. With so many channels for us to choose from, that kind of concentration of viewers never happens anymore.) To compare, Athens’ numbers were an 18.3 rating and 30 share.
  
  And of course, more and more of us are catching up on the games online. Since the internet has grown exponentially since 2004, it’s no surprise that so many more of us are watching online since then. http://www.nbcolympics.com/ is reporting 17.7 million video streams so far for Beijing, as compared to 2.2 million for the entire Athens games. Presenting the Summer Olympics for the 11th time, more than any other network, NBC will be bringing us a record total of 3,600 hours of coverage, with 2,900 of those live, and across more platforms than ever. “Obviously our multi-platform Olympic strategy is a success,” NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker brags. “But this record-breaking Olympic performance is proving that network television is more alive than ever.”

• Diana in TX perfectly anticipated my next item: yes, I have Big Bang Theory news. Not only will the show return – on Monday Sept. 22 at 8 PM ET – but it comes back with a new cast member. After making a guest appearance last season as Leonard [Johnny Galecki]’s love interest Leslie Winkle, Sara Gilbert is back to stay as a series regular. For those of us who loved them as a married couple on Roseanne, it’ll be fun to watch their continued chemistry – even if it does screw up Leonard’s chances of making it with neighbor Penny [Kaley Cuoco.]
  
  By the way, in case you missed season 1 of this fun comedy, it's due out on DVD on September 2.

• We’ve all heard about the updated version of 90210 premiering soon on the CW network (a 2-hour launch on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 8 PM ET). Many of us have also heard the rumor that this show may be the CW’s last chance. Yes, Gossip Girl is popular, but only a minor ratings hit – and according to rumor, the CW needs 90210 to break big in order to stay alive.
  
  Things were looking up for the show when early on, producers announced they’d enticed three original West Beverly High alums – Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling and then Shannen Doherty – to return. Then, with the birth of Tori’s baby, plans were reportedly delayed a bit. Now Tori’s a no-go altogether; both her reps, and those for the CW, confirm that Tori’s Donna Martin will not be back. US magazine is reporting the real reason: whereas Jennie and Shannen are to be earning $35-50K per episode, Tori was offered just $10-20K.
  
  And yet another actor from the original has weighed in: Ian Ziering’s Steve Sanders will not be back. “It’s not really where my career goals are focused right now,” Ziering told People magazine. “I think that it’s fantastic that they’re trying to recapture some of the excitement that 90210 brought to a decade. I wish them all the best of luck.”

• In other revival news, CBS is reportedly considering a revamped version of its incredibly long-running detective series, Hawaii Five-O. The original show ran on the Eye Network for what was then a record-breaking 12 seasons, from 1968-80 (a drama record broken now by Law & Order, about to enter its 19th.) Criminal Minds’ showrunner, former Chicago cop Ed Bernero, will be at the helm of what he’s codenaming “Hawaii Five-O 2.0.”
  
  “We will try to keep as much of the original show as possible,” Bernero told The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m not trying to reinvent it.” And so, the new show will, like its predecessor, film on location in Hawaii, and the famous theme song will be back, albeit modernized. Alas, Jack Lord has gone off to the great luau in the sky, and so the fictional Hawaiian police department at the show’s core will now be run by his character Steve McGarrett’s son Chris, yet to be cast.
  
  My two cents: don’t you think Frank should be cast on this show (so that I can go with him and live in Paradise)? Don’t they need comic relief? (And no, Frank, you can’t play the villain Wo Fat just for the sake of a silly pun.) Hey, Mr. Bernero: Frank loves all things Hawaiian, can save you budget by providing his own full wardrobe of flowered shirts and muumuus, and will even ship you a bunch of his tiki mugs to use in bar scenes. Sure, Frank Sr. will be sorry to see us move 6,000 miles away – but on the plus side, with all Frank’s tiki crap cleared out, the man will have half of his house back!

• And finally, if you were listening to the show yesterday, Frank’s guest Alison Arngrim wasn’t lying: the Little House on the Prairie musical – starring original “Half Pint” Melissa Gilbert (Sara’s big sis) this time as Ma Ingalls -- is hotter than a grass fire. It hasn’t even opened yet – that’s this Friday, August 15 – but it’s breaking box office records at Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater, and has already been extended by 2 weeks, to October 19. After that, playbill.com is already announcing, these prairie girls are hitting the road, taking the show on a 40 city tour starting in Fall 2009.

And you callers asked...

• Brian in Toledo: Here’s some info you asked for regarding Doctor Who’s ratings. Looks like things are looking up in the UK!

• Chris in New Orleans: the fire on the Universal Studios backlot in early June did badly damage an area as large as two city blocks, including the Courthouse Square set used in Back to the Future and, as you noted, currently being used by Ghost Whisperer on CBS. However, as this article notes, that is just a secondary location for the series, which is now back in production as usual. In fact, Ghost Whisperer is set to start its fourth season on CBS on Friday October 3 at 8 PM ET.

• Mark in FL: Here’s some more info on the show you recently discovered, TNT’s The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick. The show started its 4th season in early July, and is still a ratings juggernaut for basic cable. Its season 4 premiere episode attracted 7.8 million viewers, which is more than most shows on network TV! It was slightly off from the 8.8 million who tuned in for the season 3 opener – but still, it’s enough for the show to remain the most popular show so far this year on ad-supported cable.

• Paul in MA: Good question! I have not yet seen any Nielsen ratings for LOGO’s Sordid Lives: The Series, and I’m not sure they’ve been released. And with only 4 [of 12] episodes having aired, it’s probably too soon to speculate about renewal (but isn’t the show fabulous! I SO hope there’s a season 2!) But I’ve emailed a source who might be able to shed some light on this situation, so check back right here for more info soon!

• And lastly, Randy in Vancouver, this one’s for you! Check It Out!

Well that's it for me -- my theme music is playing me out. Tune in next Wednesday for the next installment of...

"Must Hear TV!"