The first, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, has definitely been canceled. The second, PROMISE LAND, has been on hiatus and is rumored to be headed for cancellation as well. If you are a fan of either of these series you can do something to help.
For information on the campaign to save THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, please see http://www.magnificent7.com. For information on how to show your support for PROMISE LAND, please see http://www.savepromiseland.org/.
Peabody Award Winners Announced:One of the most prestigious awards in all of broadcasting is the Peabody Award. The winners for 1998 have been announced. Among the winners for outstanding television are MASTERPIECE THEATER on PBS and THE PRACTICE on ABC. One show that comes as somewhat of a surprise this year was ALLY MCBEAL on Fox. For a complete listing of all the winners please see http://Peabody.uga.edu/.
THE VIRGINIAN Rides Again:There was a time when westerns were king in Hollywood. One western that was especially popular, THE VIRGINIAN was made into a successful film and television series. It also had one of the most stirring musical scores of all-time. Thanks to the popularity of remakes, it too is on the comeback trail.
Dennis Weaver (Chester from tv¹s GUNSMOKE) has been signed to play the heavy in the upcoming film version for TNT. (James Drurry played the part on television.) Filming is set to being in Calgary soon. THE VIRGINIAN is expected to air on the TNT cable channel in June of this year.
Sci-Fi Channel¹s Ratings Are ³Out of this World²:The Sci-Fi Channel is scoring big ratings with it¹s new Friday night line up of POLTERGEIST: THE LEGACY, FARSCAPE, SLIDERS and FIRST WAVE. The four series are averaging a solid 1.0 rating. That works out to about 565,000 viewers per show, the highest ratings in the young cable channel¹s history.
The shows are also bringing in the young male viewers who are so coveted by advertisers. In fact, the Sci-Fi Channel ranks behind only TBS and M-TV for young male viewers who watch cable during the time those shows are on.
NBC and USA Networks Form Partnership: In a move sure not to sit well with NBC affiliates, NBC and the USA Network have formed a joint partnership with producer Dick Wolfe. NBC will air a new Wolfe produced series called SEX CRIMES. Under the new agreement the USA Network will air the same episode a few weeks later, but not in prime time.
