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25 years for Dave.

Congrats to David Letterman reaching 25 years on late night TV!

Now screening on TEN, the anniversary episode will air tonight (or make that tomorrow 12:35am Saturday morning).

Dave is bringing back Bill Murray who appeared on the first ever episode in 1982.

According to the CBS website: On Feb. 1, 1982, David Letterman hit the stage of "Late Night with David Letterman" and that night, single-handedly changed the face of late night television forever. Now, 25 years later, Letterman continues to set the standard in late night. With 4,506 broadcasts, 14,772 guest appearances, 14 Emmy Awards and 89 Emmy nominations to his credit, Letterman and his late night programs, "Late Night with David Letterman" and the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, are ranked among the best and most innovative television programs in the history of broadcasting. Other than the late Johnny Carson, who hosted "The Tonight Show" for 30 years, no other late night host comes near Letterman in longevity, critical praise and award recognition.

After spending 11 1/2 years at "Late Night with David Letterman," Letterman moved his show to the CBS Television Network on Aug. 30, 1993 and instantly created an immensely successful late night franchise for the Network. Now in its 14th season on CBS, the LATE SHOW continues to shine: the CBS late night broadcast alone has been honored with nine Emmy Awards, 54 Emmy nominations and countless other accolades and critical acclaim for its original and inventive comedy, newsmaking guests and cutting-edge musical performances.

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Prince at the Super Bowl

Prince fans don't forget he is this year's half-time entertainment at the 2007 NFL Super Bowl screening live on SBS.

Hopefully there will be no wardrobe malfunctions.

Here is the blurb from SBS:

On Monday 5 February at 10:00am AEDT, SBS Sport presents the 41st National Football League (NFL) SUPER BOWL, LIVE to free-to-air audiences across Australia.

The Super Bowl is the United State’s highest rating television program and most watched single-day sporting event, with a staggering 141.4 million viewers tuning in last year.

SBS’ Super Bowl presentation will be led by Ed Wyatt, with expert analysis and comments from Australian born, former NFL player Colin Scotts and SBS Sport personality Damien Lovelock.

SBS Sport, for the ninth consecutive year, will broadcast every moment of Super Bowl XLI LIVE* from Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, with a scheduled replay @ 11:00pm. Read more...

Dancing gets some stars

No real surprises in the new line up for Dancing With The Stars. It's certainly a better line up than the also-rans in the last series, thanks mostly to Naomi Robson and Jamie Durie in there.

Seven has also added a disco dance to the format, and announced a twist (singing with Daryl perhaps?).

Here's the line-up plus their partners:

Fifi Box (radio announcer) Paul Green (new)
Tim Campbell (actor) Natalie Lowe
Kate Ceberano (singer) John-Paul Collins (new)
Kimberley Davies (actor) Paul Zaidman (new)
Jamie Durie (horticulturalist/landscape designer/TV presenter) Amanda Garner
David Graham (farmer/ reality contestant) Eliza Campagna
Tatiana Grigorieva (Olympic pole vaulter) Brendan Humphreys (new)
Naomi Robson (television journalist) Csaba Szirmai
Wendell Sailor (rugby player) Linda De Nicola
Todd Woodbridge (tennis champion) Emily Reilly (new)

No airdate yet, but as I've already tipped, expect a Tue 7:30pm slot as usual. Seven has a dancing special and a dancing movie (a movie no less!) for the next two Tuesdays.

And can we see David Graham dance with Jamie?
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New shows. Where are these now?

The schedules for Week One of official ratings (Feb 11) are in... and we're still waiting for some big name shows!

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Ugly Betty, 30 Rock, Shark, The Nine, Kidnapped, Monarchy, Lost Tribes, Australia's Got Talent, Raines, Tsunami: The Aftermath, Sea Patrol, 3LBS.

Without breaking any embargos here are a few predictions about where I reckon things will go:


Ugly Betty. This is the one we're all waiting for. It's odd Seven hasn't slated this in the first week. Clearly Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are out so far. Unless Lost moves to a later time and Seven bumps Bones. But given they've brought the latter back I doubt it. We have dancing themed stuff for the next two Tuesdays (Dancesport Championships and then oddly, Shall We Dance? movie), so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that DWTS will fire in its usual Tuesday slot as soon as rehearsals are over. Sundays remain a big problem for Seven. I reckon Australia's Got Talent will air for 2 hrs from 6:30. Could Ugly Betty follow at 8:30pm? There aren't many spots left....

Assuming Lost Tribes is ready (and that's an assumption) it will be ideal 6:30pm Sunday viewing, in the old Block timeslot. Watching Aussie families with jungle tribes (Wah Wah anyone?) will be compelling viewing if it's done right. Could be one of the year's watercooler show. And can we get Sea Patrol against DWTS? Maybe it's too tough for 7:30pm.That would be a real fight. I'd also like to see Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 sooner rather than later, probably a 9:30pm show. Put that against Brothers and Sisters.
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Foreign Correspondent inaccurate

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has found that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation breached clause 4.1 of the ABC Code of Practice 2004 in a Foreign Correspondent segment broadcast on 11 July 2006.

The ABC did not make every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of factual content in relation to statements made by reporter Emma Griffiths relating to poverty levels in Estonia.

The full report is available here.
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First Review: The Code

* Note: Review based on Segment One preview only.

Nine has noticed the success of shows like Border Security and and produced The Force and produced The Code: Crime and Justice, which launches next Monday night at 7:30pm.

This factual series has been produced in conjunction with Victoria Police (The Force is in WA). Most significantly it takes cameras into the Magistrate's Court where Ian Gray will dish out some decisions to law-breakers.

Narrated by William McInnes, it is slickly packaged and wrapped up in high-tech graphics. McInnes is the perfect voice-over, authoritative, observing without histrionics from an arms-length distance.

What will be a key attraction to viewers is the court-room procedures. How do our judges deal with cases? Are they too lenient or is there a human touch to sentencing we overlook?

The first segment is all about set-up. A guy in court with a bad record. A crisis siege in the suburbs. An irate taxi passenger.

Clearly the magistrates here don't have a Judge Judy melodrama about them. But producers will need to wring out the drama for television, and not leave us thinking courtrooms are boring. That requires selective cases, snappy editing, mood music and similar tricks. I have confidence these producers can rise to that challenge.

The Monday timeslot it ideal. An array of formats and genres have reaped huge figures at the start of the week. But I'm disappointed to see Motorway Patrol will follow. NZ accents... stupid NZ drivers. Who cares? Hopefully The Code isn't dragged down by a poor pairing.
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A Heroic debut

Heroes managed a terrific 2.1m average for its debut episode, soundly firing off the first salvo of Seven's 2007 American drama acquisitions.

It was the best figure for a drama debut since Lost (2.3m).

Seven has scheduled an Encore (aka repeat) of both Heroes and Prison Break (1.2m) next Tuesday evening from 10.30pm.

Next week House is back to provide some serious competition. Nine and the ABC should be worried.... Read more...

Fri / Sat / Sun Feb 2 / 3 / 4

FRIDAY 2
[Ovation/7:30pm] Inside the Actors’ Studio. Tom Cruise.
Rpt.
[Ovation/9:00pm] Pennies From Heaven (US 1981) This is a rare screening of a wonderful film, one of the last great musicals before they went into hibernation and were eventually resurrected by Moulin Rouge. But this salute to the Busby Berkeley musicals is full of dark undertones. Steve Martin was cast in this right after The Jerk and nobody expected to see him in a straight role, let alone in a musical where everybody lip-syncs songs from their original 1930s recordings. It is lavish and full of showstoppers. Followed by an interview with the creator of the original UK version.
[Ovation/10:43] Dennis Potter Interview.

[Seven/12:00pm] Movie: The Shipping News (US 2001)
An emotionally-beaten man with his young daughter moves to his ancestral home in Newfoundland to reclaim his life. Starring KEVIN SPACEY, JULIANNE MOORE, JUDI DENCH, CATE BLANCHETT, PETE POSTLETHWAITE, SCOTT GLENN, RHYS IFANS, GORDON PINSENT, JASON BEHR, LARRY PINE, JEANETTA ARNETTE and ROBERT JOY.

[ABC/8:30pm] Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Silk Stocking. It is November 1902 and a thick fog has descended on the streets of London. The illustrious detective Sherlock Holmes (Rupert Everett) is drawn out of retirement by his estranged partner in crime solving, Doctor John Watson (Ian Hart) when a case that threatens to overwhelm the privilege and tranquillity of aristocratic society comes to their attention. The body of a young girl is dragged from the Thames and the discovery of a silk stocking edged in her throat causes Holmes to conclude that the body is that of a lady. Then as society prepares for the debutantes' seasonal performance, Georgina (Jennifer Moule), a young, vulnerable and heavily chaperoned young lady disappears. Scotland Yard's Inspector Lestrade (Neil Dudgeon) tries desperately to hunt down the kidnapper, but he is too late. Georgina's body is discovered, dressed in the clothes of the first victim, with a stocking lodged in her throat. With the knowledge that a serial killer is now in operation, Holmes is galvanised into feverish action and Watson, despite his impending marriage to the beautiful Mrs Vandeleur (Helen McCrory), is drawn back to his friend's side. Desperate to catch the killer before he strikes again, Holmes resorts to increasingly unorthodox methods. Rpt.

[Nine/10:00pm] Movie: Take Away (Aus 2003) Tony Stilano and Trev Spackneys both own and work in adjoining take-away fish shops in Melbourne. Although they have fallen into a habitual rivalry based on a cause long forgotten, the pair unite when the multinational fast-food outlet "Burgies" unveils a new store directly opposite the twin shops. Stars Vince Colosimo,
Stephen Curry, Rose Byrne and Nathan Phllips. Some Coarse
Language [L]

[Ten/7:30pm] Smallville “Fade.”
[Ten/10:45pm] Veronica Mars. “The Rapes of Graff.” With Arrested Development’s Michael Cera (George Michael) and Alia Shawkat (Maebe).
[Ten/1:30am Sat] Fat Actress. “Big Butts” Guest: John Travolta, Kelly Preston. Rpt.

[SBS/10:00pm] Thinking XXX – Acclaimed portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders presents a behind-the-scenes look at the making of his new book of adult film star portraits. In 2002, after 25 years photographing art-world personalities, celebrities and world leaders, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders tackled a new subject – adult film stars. The resulting book, XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits, features paired portraits, one clothed and one nude, of a cross-section of straight and gay actors, from porn legends to rising stars. This documentary includes footage of the photographer using a large format portrait camera to create the shots in his book, as well as conversations with the actors, who discuss how they began their careers, how being a porn star has changed their lives and how they feel about sex and the industry. In addition, authors, artists and cultural observers – such as Karen Finley, Nancy Friday, Richard Johnson, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, Michael Musto, Whitley Strieber, Gore Vidal, John Waters and Faye Wattleton – offer far-ranging, provocative perspectives on porn today, yesterday and tomorrow. (From the UK, in English) MA (A,N,S) CC WS

Cable: Breaking up With Shannen Doherty,

SATURDAY 3
[ABC/1:00pm] Iconoclasts : Renee Zellweger And Christiane Amanpour
Renée Zellweger reveals her great admiration for CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour, who has reported from war zones around the globe, including the Balkans, Rwanda, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

[Nine/1:00pm] 2007 Kellogg's Nutri Grain Ironman Series
[Nine/2:00pm] 2006 Western Australian Ironman - Busselton
[Nine/9:30pm] Movie: Arlington Road (US 1999) Tim Robins and Jeff Bridges star in the tense political and psychological thriller, Arlington Road. History Professor Michael Faraday begins to suspect that his new neighbour, Oliver, may be linked to domestic terrorism and launches his own investigation into his suspicious activities. As pieces begin to fall into place, he
unwittingly puts his loved ones in danger as he zeroes in on the
terrorist's next target. Also stars Joan Cusack and Hope Davis.
Some Violence [V] Some Coarse Language [L] Adult Themes [A] Rpt.

[Ten/6:30pm] Movie: "The Brady Bunch Movie" (US 1995) Rpt.

[SBS/8:00pm] Iron Chef America – Mushrooms – Iron Chef Mastermind Takeshi Kaga has passed the torch onto a new chairman, martial arts actor Mark Dacascos. This version is a replica of the original Japanese version, with a few familiar faces making an appearance. In tonight’s episode, Iron Chef Mario Batali battles against the first female challenger, Anita Lo, in a mushroom challenge. (From the US, in English) (Entertainment) G CC WS

[Movie Extra/8:30pm] Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Peter O’Brien.
[Movie Extra/11:30pm] Movie: Mysterious Skin

SUNDAY 4
[ABC/7:30pm] Planet Earth. New Series. Following in the footsteps of the great polar explorers, Planet Earth takes cameras into the most remote wildernesses on the planet. With the help of Royal Navy helicopters, the BBC teams capture, from the air, incredible shots of humpback whales feeding, while a dive team films the whales from under the water. At the end of the Antarctic summer, the sea around the continent freezes and the ice expands, doubling the size of the Antarctic. While all other life flees north, the Emperor penguins are just arriving. For more than nine months, Planet Earth follows these hardy birds as they trek across the sea ice to breed. The high technology time-lapse cameras reveal behaviours new to science, as the colony is transformed into a dynamic, single organism. In the Arctic, a male polar bear whose ice world is literally melting away beneath him, is shown swimming more than 100 kilometres in search of ice from which to hunt seals. In desperation, he takes on a colony of walruses and - after a battle of giants - comes off the worst. Finally, Planet Earth catches up with two cubs that were filmed emerging from their den at the start of the series. Independent of their mother, they are now facing incredible survival challenges as climate change transforms the planet's ice worlds.

[ABC/11:50pm] Tipping The Velvet. Final .(CC, Rpt, M* Sex scenes and adult themes) Concluding Andrew Davies' adaptation of Sarah Waters' vibrant tale of love in eccentric fin-de-siecle London society. Nan is ordered from Diana's house. Destitute she finds Florence and happiness, until Kitty Butler returns.

[Seven/7:30pm] Greatest Novelty Acts Of All Time. Denise Drysdale presents some of the best talent acts from the '50s, '60s and '70s. Taken from Ed Sullivan's special collection of novel, funny and death- defying stunts, these real-life acts will have you wondering how they did it!

[Seven/8:30pm] Movie: Sweet Home Alabama
An ambitious young woman, Melanie Carmichael, moves to New York to escape her simple life in Alabama. In no time, she reinvents herself as an up-scale fashion designer who is engaged to the city's most eligible bachelor, the son of the respected mayor. But Melanie's past holds many secrets, including the husband that she married in high school - who refuses to divorce her. Determined to end her contentious marriage, Melanie travels to Alabama to confront her past - only to discover that you can take the girl out of the South, but you can never take the South out of the girl! Starring REESE WITHERSPOON, JOSH LUCAS, PATRICK DEMPSEY, CANDICE BERGEN, ETHAN EMBRY, JEAN SMART, FRED WARD, MARY KAY PLACE, MELANIE LYNSKEY and RHONA MITRA.

[Sunday/12:00pm] 35th Country Music Awards Of Australia Australian country music industry’s celebrated annual awards presentation recognising recording excellence…and gala concert featuring Australia’s biggest country music stars.

[Sunday/2:00pm] Beach Cricket. Grand Final. Some of cricket's all time greats from Australia, England and the West Indies have competed in the inaugural tri nation's series. Tune in live for the Beach Cricket Grand Final at Sydney's Maroubra beach.

[Ten/7:30pm] The Biggest Loser. Premiere. Meet the 14 Australians who will take on the greatest challenge of their lives. We see the contestants enter the house and have their first weigh in. They begin their journey with the US trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, but there is a surprising twist. Hosted by AJ Rochester. See earlier review.

[Ten/12:00am Mon] Battlestar Galactica "The Captain's Hand"

[Max/2:00pm] Queen. Three hours of the world’s greatest band.

[Ovation/7:00pm] Tan Dun: The Map

[Arena/8:30pm] Entourage.
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