NBC Mid season show premiere dates

NBC  TV Look  Midseason 

   NBC is setting up a Sunday Comedy block, much like FOX does and what ABC and CBS don't .  A New variety show hosted by Steve Harvey  Little Big Shots starts March 13th at 8/7c  airing Sundays at 8/7c  then  The Carmichael  Show  returns for it's 2nd season on Sunday March 13th at 9pmet with two back to back episodes  there will be preview the week before on March 8th at 10:30pmet.   It will air Sundays at 9/8c.   The Following Sunday  a new series  Crowded premieres March 20th at 9:30/8:30c, airing  Sundays in this slot.

    Moving on to  other nights  Starting Wednesday, March  23rd at 8/7c with a preview the night before at 9/8c. Heartbeat  premieres   this replaces  The Mysteries of Laura  which has its season (possibly series) finale  on March 2nd.      On Thursday Nights Game of  Silence will replace  Shades of Blue  at 10/9c starting April 7th.

Press release with show info  after the jump

Joshuaonline 10's :The CW and TV's 2006 change

       2016 marks our 10th birthday of Joshuaonline , when the site started it wasn't focused on TV and Media we eventually went that direction and refined what we cover and talk about , another thing is our record of early blog posts is missing because of quite bad early days of not understanding how posting works.  Anyway, will be taking a look at Television stories that were big over the past 10 years  starting with 2006.   

   

   If Joshuaonline was around in 1995, first off we would be 20 , we also would be looking at the launch of the WB and and UPN.  The Concept of Independent stations , ones that if you were  a kid in the 60's-80's  were the ones the maybe had those  movies , cartoons and sitcoms reruns without those pesky ABC,CBS,NBC clutter. They were places you could watch children's shows on the afternoon and movies and what not in the evening, some even had news at different times.  

                         
        What time is the Eight PM movie ?  Poor announcer ...wait someone hit the wrong button

more after the jump
 
    Around this time between the 60's-80's there was ideas of a fourth network (never will happen) yes, a network that would make the big 3 , CBS , ABC and NBC, have to open their club to a 4th and hopefully this fourth network would make ABC finally pack it in. ( That's a joke)    FOX  was the most successful of that , they are still on the air as of this writing,   FOX had began after buying up Metromedia stations and then having other independent stations join them. This was chipping away at the independent stations , something else was too: Cable.   HBO had movies (jerks) and so did AMC.  HBO and  being able to rent movies or buy them (insert rich person name here)  why watch on ole channel 32 with commercials or wait a couple years for the latest movie of  1982 come out when I can watch in 1983 anytime I want?  Independent stations were still OK , they  had other things, some had sports to benefit from (for now)  Plus why watch channel 32 air  "Lassie" at 5:30pm when I can watch whatever the heck this new cable thing was doing?
         Now back to FOX, they had started off slow but did starting growing and well if someone sees a someone doing well with something and if they think (and have money to) they can do the same thing better   well there you go.   Also the government changed some rules (we could use this alot in writing TV and Radio topics)  there was a set of rules called the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules.  Not to get into explaining the whole thing , one thing of importance was that the FCC in the 1970 did not want the networks to have monopoly on television . (Insert your 2016 laughs here) They prevented the networks from owning  the programs they made in primetime and also prevented programming being aired by a network (their owned stations ) from airing programming they had any stake in.   If these rules were around today:    NBC couldn't air Chicago Fire  because Universal Television is a corporate relation. (This is alternate history if everything else stated the same)  Also CBS owned stations couldn't air Entertainment Tonight ( eeehhh ) because CBS makes the show.  This law may be the reason why MTM studios (Marty  Tyler Moore) and the Norman Lear  stuff was all over the networks more , because they were independent companies.   (We may talk more about 70's TV in the future)  The rules were relaxed  in the 80's , though not removed due to Hollywood lobbies and Ronald Regan (who was an actor before ).    The rules were seen as outdated after the rise of FOX (yep ) and cable. All the rules were repealed in 1995.      (our source for this)

  In  1993-4, when the rules were pretty much sharks without teeth now and would soon be starved off Warner Brothers and Paramount thought hey it would be  a good time to  jump into some network fun.    Warner Brothers  , along with Tribune , and Jamie Kellner came together and announced a new network , using Tribune's stations (in turn for 25% ownership of this new network) as their neculus.  Tribune had stations in top markets and a national cable feed to help fill the gaps.    This network was called the WB which launched on January 11, 1995.   Meanwhile Paramount had kind of always wanted  a network, they tried in the 40's and 50's  they did have a stake in the first fourth TV network, Dumont.  While they also were instrumental in helping the 3rd network , ABC,  exist some more. Paramount bought some TV stations in the 90's and they found  a partner to part own a new project : a network.  Chris-Craft industries ,which owned a few stations including in the top 3 markets.  They announced their new network , UPN, in 1993 . United  Paramount Network, owned by Paramount (later Viacom ) and  Chris-Craft (get it ? United) .   They launched a few days after the WB in 1995.   (We could have done a history of UPN and WB thing )
 
   This brings us to our main 2006 point.   On January 24th, 2006  it was announced by CBS and TimeWarner (see things changed )  that they were going to take their respective networks  , UPN  and The WB shut down them down, and take some programs and "merge" them this new network would by 50% owned by CBS corp and 50% by Time Warner, (Tribune got left out in the cold, but there was a deal for most of their affiliates that were WB to join this network for 10 years)  (source)
    The WB and UPN had moderate successes and failures but  they felt it would be stronger to take the strongest programs, stronger stations (in some areas there was only a UPN or WB station while the other network didn't exist or had to be piped in on cable from a near by market) , and a name . The CW stands for Cbs and Warner Brothers.

 this was the first logo .... ermmmm yep  

      Now in markets were there was  a both  this meant  they had to choose their favorites , or the strongest station. In Tribune markets (except in Philadelphia ,Seattle, Atlanta ) they went with Tribune's WB affiliates ,  While in Philly and Seattle they went to CBS's  UPN station because business politics is fun. In Boston,  Miami, and Dallas  CBS's UPN stations lost out so that was even , while in other markets CBS owned a UPN station minus the  whole  Tribune  thing CW went there. In other markets it was whoever the network felt was stronger.  The whole point was to make a stronger network out of the carnage of UPN and WB left overs.   The Network structure was originally the WB's .  They were doing Sunday Nights  from  5/4c to 10/9c,  Weeknights for 2 hours , daytime (formally the kids block )  from 3-5pm (time zone meaning nothing) and  the Kids WB children's block.    The Network launched in September.  

      

           

 this is logo they later announced and use today. 

          Now this plan looks good on paper and the first season did alright , not better than UPN or WB but alright .  That writers strike (might do a 10 years thing about that ) that  affect 2007-08 TV season and this hurt the CW.  They killed off their comedy department   they also laid off others and un filled some empty jobs.  This is a factor in the end of KIDS WB (which you read our whole look back of here)  where they sold the time to 4KIDS TV,  while the CW was leasing things (Joshuaonline should have bought Tuesdays, darn it)  they gave the 5 hour Sunday Nights to Media Rights Captial .  CW was their weak night so someone buying their weakest night makes sense... it of course didn't work and they cut the deal in November 2008 (the same year) and replaced it with Drew Carey Show repeats and Jericho .  WWE Smackdown (one of the UPN carry-overs) left in 2008 , for My Network TV (more on them later), even though it did well they dropped it because they were going after female viewers ages 18-34. (source) Then again if you are network with ratings problems and might not see 2010 , then you drop something people were watching on your network because it's not part of demographic is well , the wrong decade it's not like  1970's where people still might watch because there's only 6 channels, they can leave you and not come back.  

       Their demo chasing maybe did pay off anyway , they introduced shows like Gossip Girl ,and 90210. which had buzz and viewers, compared to  whatever the heck "Valentine" was.  They did give up on Sundays , giving that slot to the affiliates in 2009.  

      This brings us to around now , they did have a change in action in 2012 . First off , If I wrote in 2007 , that the CW would still be on the air in 2012, I would have called myself crazy.  They dropped the whole one demo , everyone else go to CBS or NBC or wherever for your fun instead , for inclusive audience.  Arrow came out which had 2 things going for it, it had corporate synergy since DC comics is owned by the parent company , and ratings. They added other genres too instead of just soapy soap stuff , they added  "'Who's Line is it anyway?" a revival , Sci fi shows and more.   

   10 years into's life  the network looks much better off than it did back in 2006 or even 2008 that  it has more viewers , programs that people are watching, and even one of those shows won an Emmy. "Jane the Virgin" was their first show to do such.   Interestingly, a lot of the shows on the network are from CBS or Warner, more so from Warner than CBS. Since it's a digital age they also have delved well into that . CW Seed is an internet platform  with original shows, some library stuff .  

  What about those other stations left in the cold  from that "merger" (it wasn't really a merger)? Well FOX  owned the Chris-Craft stations for a few years, UPN affiliates in NYC, Chicago, LA, and some others were owned by FOX for 6 years. Their stations were in that group being left out of the CW.  ( Tribune which had a relationship with the WB seemed more senese than having another an owner of another network run ...well that wasn't an owner of the CW.. your major affiliates)   In February of 2006, about a month after the CW was announced they announced they were launching a new network called My Network TV.  Not the best name, but FOX's parent  had just bought Myspace , which was hot at the time ,  and was My everything. Their location stations websites were myfox.... .com  .  Stations that weren't owned by FOX but maybe were left out of the CW , could instead of becoming independent (because who needs that?)  could join FOX's thing.   They had  a unique strategy that  I personally found interesting  they were going to bring telenovelas  but in English 

airing 5 nights   a week in  strip.  The shows were in 3 month cycle and have recaps on the 6th night.   

  my Network TV, mine you don't touch!      

       Most networks have different programs each night , though  the spanish networks , Univision , for example airs Telenovelas  in prime time and airs them in a daily fashion.  They also were going after that 18-34 audience the CW was going for,   Now the network could have developed this more gone more traditional American soap , if they had to change the telenvoelas anyway ,  with  cut off dates. A comedy running daily could have been fun and interesting where it's plots could run through the whole series in a few months, etc.   They debuted in September of 2006, about 2 weeks before the CW.  The ratings were alright they would be great if it was cable ,but getting less than a million on broadcast doesn't work well so they dropped the telenovelas in 2007.   They really were on some lost track for 2 years of airing anything they could find.  They did have one program that helped a little starting in 2008, they picked up the rights to WWE Smakdown  , the first night that aired , MY Net(hahhaha )  beat the  CW (ironc). In 2009 they found a new focus ...well an old focus they stopped being a network (didn't change the time)  and started airing syndicated repeats. Smackdown packed up to Syfy  in 2011. Currently they air one of the  Law and Order spinoffs (so does everyone else)  cable off repeats of The Closer, the biggest thing is they air the Walking Dead from AMC, which is the only thing not in weekend drama syndication.  

     It's not really a network anymore it's stations can move their programs to other times , for example in Seattle they air My Network TV stuff 12am-2am , some stations air their programs with  digi network , like METV sharing the rest of channel space.  

   2006 was an interesting year in what happened in broadcast TV ,and as of this writing there's not been  new networks launched on broadcast TV (well skipping the digital networks)    and there may not ever be again.  That was the last hurrah for ideas like that  , there maybe other things done in  a structure.  If Joshuaonline had been doing TV talk in 2006 ,  I don't know what would have been said (we need a time machine)  but it would been interesting to write about the new networks and what they were doing.    That's our first 10 years article  and we hope you will love the rest  , though the others might not have so much back story. 

Note:       Though it seems now , the Tribune company and the CW are in discussion mode to see if they renew or if the CW will have to do something else. 

The Lookback : Back to Soaps again (Or Soaps part IV)

The Flashback  Soaps 

      There many soap operas that  so much we have a fourth  posting about them in a lookback fashion.


1.The City
   Remember when we talked about the Soap "Loving" ? (If you don't then it's right here)   Then you remember when we said the show ended in 1995 and it's famous plot line was a serial killer  (ironic , because they killed a serial show).    This takes us  to "The City",  Agnes Nixon , the creator of such soaps : "All My Children" , "One Life to Live", "Loving" ,  got another slot on ABC to replace her "Loving " .   The City began November 13 , 1995 ,  (or the following Monday from the end of "Loving")  the main characters of the soap were those who weren't killed off in "Loving"  they moved from  the place where all the murders were (not the worst idea) to New York's Soho district in an apartment building.   (Wait , are we sure we aren't talking about Friends?)   Another thing about The City is well ... it's main setting wasn't the city  (that title guy is so fired)  it was the loft and surrounding parts.
                      
                    Are we sure this isn't Friends? /  Copyright ABC

        One of the biggest story lines for this series was about a  transsexual photographer and the fall-out of  people finding out  until it was dropped  because  of the subject matter and bad other things. (no serial killers)  Remember  the serial killer?  They tried  to bring that back as well  by having some of the characters stalked or murdered (contracts are weird)  and the killer was .... (ehhh)
    Since this show is being covered as a lookback  that probably means it's dead  (yes , it was killed by serial killer who also stalked  Young and The Restless and killed  Sunset Beach later on)  yep , the show never caught on with viewers.   Morgan Fairchild left the show and was replaced by Jane Eliot from "General Hospital"   but again not catching on fire as a show. Another factor was the time slot : In the East  it was on at 12:30 PM  against "The Young and The Restless"  (kind of like putting your new show against  American Idol in the 2000's)  and ABC canceled it in 1997.
    An interesting note  characters  Angie Hubbard (played by Debbi Morgan ) and her son Frankie , started on "All My Children" in 1983  , moved to "Loving" in  1993 and being a survivor  moved to "The City".

2. Port Charles
    After "The City" was a canceled , ABC did repeats of other soaps until they got a new soap called "Port Charles"   If that sound  familiar , well that's because it's a spin off of "General Hospital" it takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles , much like General Hospital. (Unlike The City)  Port Charles began on June 1st 1997 . There were plans to do a  GH spin off since 1996 (maybe earlier but who cares about that?)  The first name concept was "GH2 "  it would focus on the interns  at the medical school across from the famous hospital.  It was later renamed to what the show premiered as "Port Charles"  and to  anchor the show well they had two stars from General Hospital star in this show  Lynn Herring  who played  Lucy and Jon Lindstrom who played Kevin Collins . It premiered in primetime first  with a 2 hour start. (That's  4 episodes of plot there)
     The Soap had low ratings at first but was finding its own audience  , then in 2000 it found it's  style it was now going to follow a novella format , so instead of long storylines it was going have "books" (reading is fun kids )  that would be 13 week plot lines self contained in that book.
 The "books" were called :  Fate , Time in a Bottle , Tainted Love , Tempted , Miracles Happen, Secrets, Superstition, Torn, Naked Eyes , Surrender , Desire, and The Gift .(or the names of my kids)    The original concept of focusing on interns also was later waived out.

                       
                      Yeah we have a green filter deal with it!/  Copyright ABC
    The soap  did run 6 years but didn't satfiy ABC anymore so they ended it in 2003 ,  this series ending had to distinctions :  it was ABC's last new soap series  and when it ended the slot was given to local stations ( to air news and junk) .    The late 90's was really the end of new soap series being made for daytime TV .

3.  Passions
    ABC is depressing me , let's go to NBC    as we go to their last ever new soap series ever in America (oh... should have gone to CBS eh?)    Let's talk about  "Passions" , it began as the century was ending  on July 5th in 1999.  NBC was happy  with the creator of the series because he (James E Riley)  was credited with the surge in ratings at "Days of Our Lives". One of the plotlines   was Dr. Marlena Evans  was possessed by Satan . (you know, an average Tuesday)
    Passions was a new soap for Riley to try anything and not get some viewers mad at him .  "Passions" had some interesting people and plotlines .  Sheridan Crane , was a character who was close with Princes Diana , including having a similar accident in the same Paris tunnel  and speaks to ghost Diana (uhhh what?)  who urges her to survive.  When  Crane had a boating accident she gets amnesia (our old soap friend )  and calls herself Diana.   We also had a love triangle. (yep it's a soap)  Riley must have a thing for supernatural   (or really missed Dark Shadows)  this show had it  witches (Sabrina?) ,warlocks  , closet doors to Hell (which sounds like a rock song). We had  centuries old Witch named Tabitha Lennox  and her brought to life doll, Timmy.
    In  2004 , the show went through some changes with many of the original actors leaving the show  and new characters were introduced , giving the show a ratings boost.

                         
                         Fly on the wings of a bird you! / copyright NBC

    The Soap was never the highest rated but it did well with key demos (the stuff networks care about)  but NBC decided to cancel it  in 2007 , this was in part due to the fact  they wanted to expand the "Today Show" to  4 hours (ooh lucky us)  and they were going to have affiliates give up 10AM in exchange for the "Passions" slot.   It ended on  September 7th 2007.
 But wait , our story  has a twist !  NBC owned the show and was looking for someone to pick it up for them  and Direct TV did.   10 days after the series ended it returned with new episodes on Direct TV's  101 network (as it was known then) .   But that happy moment of maybe a chance of hope didn't last long Direct TV announced  they were not renewing the show and it ended in August 2008.

    We found a theme in these soaps  they were some of the last soaps made for American Daytime TV.  Established soaps weren't moving  and slots were drying up and also it was getting harder to attract  people (thanks stupid reality shows)  due to changing patterns of  viewers , especially daytime viewers.
         That's our lookback , stay tuned next time when  we move to a city of witches who are escaping a serial killer.

The 2016 Oscar Nominations

Oscars 

    The 88th annual Academy Awards  nominees have been announced  ,the Oscars air February the 28th at 7pmet on ABC,   Here is the list of nominees:

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Bryan Cranston in Trumbo
Matt Damon in The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in Carol
Brie Larson in Room
Jennifer Lawrence in Joy
Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn

Best motion picture of the year
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Achievement in directing
The Big Short, Adam McKay
Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller
The Revenant, Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Room, Lenny Abrahamson
Spotlight, Tom McCarthy

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Earned It” from Fifty Shades of Grey -- Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio
“Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction -- Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty
“Simple Song #3” from Youth -- Music and Lyric by David Lang
“Til It Happens To You” from The Hunting Ground -- Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga
“Writing’s On The Wall” from Spectre -- Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith

Achievement in cinematography
Carol -- Ed Lachman
The Hateful Eight -- Robert Richardson
Mad Max: Fury Road -- John Seale
The Revenant -- Emmanuel Lubezki Sicario Roger Deakins

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara in Carol
Rachel McAdams in Spotlight
Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Christian Bale in The Big Short
Tom Hardy in The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight
Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone in Creed

Best documentary short subject
Body Team 12
Chau, beyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Last Day of Freedom Dee Hibbert

Best documentary feature
Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom

Achievement in costume design
Carol -- Sandy Powell
Cinderella -- Sandy Powell
The Danish Girl -- Paco Delgado
Mad Max: Fury Road --Jenny Beavan
The Revenant -- Jacqueline West

Achievement in sound editing
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Mark Mangini and David White
The Martian -- Oliver Tarney
The Revenant -- Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
Sicario -- Alan Robert Murray
Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Matthew Wood and David Acord

Achievement in sound mixing
Bridge of Spies -- Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
The Martian -- Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
The Revenant -- Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared -- Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
The Revenant -- Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini

Best live action short film
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)
Shok
Stutterer

Best animated short film
Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Live without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow

Best animated feature film of the year
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There

Adapted screenplay
The Big Short -- Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Brooklyn -- Screenplay by Nick Hornby
Carol -- Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy
The Martian -- Screenplay by Drew Goddard
Room -- Screenplay by Emma Donoghue

Achievement in production design
Bridge of Spies -- Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich
The Danish Girl -- Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson
The Martian -- Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak
The Revenant -- Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy

Achievement in visual effects
Ex Machina -- Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
The Martian -- Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner
The Revenant -- Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer
Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould

Achievement in film editing
The Big Short -- Hank Corwin
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Margaret Sixel
The Revenant -- Stephen Mirrione
Spotlight -- Tom McArdle
Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey

Best foreign language film of the year
Embrace of the Serpent - Colombia
Mustang - France
Son of Saul - Hungary
Theeb - Jordan
A War - Denmark

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Bridge of Spies -- Thomas Newman
Carol -- Carter Burwell
The Hateful Eight -- Ennio Morricone
Sicario -- Jóhann Jóhannsson
Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- John Williams

Original screenplay
Bridge of Spies -- Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Ex Machina -- Written by Alex Garland Inside Out Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
Spotlight -- Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
Straight Outta Compton -- Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff

Al Jazeera America shutting Down

Medialine News 

       The Cable news channel , Al Jazeera America,announced Wednesday that  it will be shutting down on April 30th.  After almost 2 1/2 years and 3 years after the big announcement that they were buying Current TV from Al Gore.

   The reasoning per Al Jazeera America's website:

        Al Jazeera America will shutter its cable TV and digital operations by April 30 of this year, the company announced Wednesday. The decision by the AJAM board was “driven by the fact that our business model is simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace,” said AJAM CEO Al Anstey.

   The Network attracted alot of journalists to join it  such as John Seigenthaler (former NBC News anchor) , Ali Velshi (former CNN) , and others , but it's ratings were never as strong  as it's competitors.  It also had problems with carriers at the very start and recently a controversy over a report about  sports players alleged doping, which they defended as accurate.    The Company says they will expand digital operations in the U.S .  It is unknown what happens to the channel space: if it is removed all together, sold  One  America News seems to want it , or Al Jazerra English takes it's place.

2016 Golden Globes winners list

Golden Globes 

  The Winners have been announced  , they are highlighted in gold and Italicized 

Best Motion Picture -- Drama
"Carol"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Revenant""Room""Spotlight"

Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
"The Big Short"
"Joy"
"The Martian"
"Spy"
"Trainwreck"

Best Actor -- Motion Picture, Drama
Bryan Cranston, "Trumbo"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant"
Michael Fassbender, "Steve Jobs"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Danish Girl"
Will Smith, "Concussion"

Best Actor -- Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Christian Bale, "The Big Short"
Steve Carell, "The Big Short"
Matt Damon, "The Martian"
Al Pacino, "Danny Collins"
Mark Ruffalo, "Infinitely Polar Bear"

Best Actress -- Motion Picture, Drama
Cate Blanchett, "Carol"
Brie Larson, "Room"
Rooney Mara, "Carol"
Saoirse Ronan, "Brooklyn"
Alicia Vikander, "The Danish Girl"

Best Actress -- Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Jennifer Lawrence, "Joy"
Melissa McCarthy, "Spy"
Amy Schumer, "Trainwreck"
Maggie Smith, "The Lady in the Van"
Lily Tomlin, "Grandma"

Best Supporting Actor
Paul Dano, "Love & Mercy"
Idris Elba, "Beasts of No Nation"
Mark Rylance, "Bridge of Spies"
Michael Shannon, "99 Homes"
Sylvester Stallone, "Creed"

Best Supporting Actress
Jane Fonda, "Youth"
Jennifer Jason Leigh, "The Hateful Eight"
Helen Mirren, "Trumbo"
Kate Winslet, "Steve Jobs"
Alicia Vikander, "Ex Machina"

Best Director
Todd Haynes, "Carol"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "The Revenant"
Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight"
George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road"
Ridley Scott, "The Martian"

Best Screenplay
Emma Donoghue, "Room"
Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, "Spotlight"
Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, "The Big Short"
Aaron Sorkin, "Steve Jobs"
Quentin Tarantino, "The Hateful Eight"

Best Original Score
Carter Burwell, "Carol"
Alexandre Desplat, "The Danish Girl"
Ennio Morricone, "The Hateful Eight"
Daniel Pemberton, "Steve Jobs"
Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto, "The Revenant"

Best Original Song
"Love Me Like You Do" (from "50 Shades of Grey")
"One Kind of Love" (from "Love & Mercy")
"See You Again" (from "Furious 7")
"Simple Song #3" (from "Youth")
"Writing's on the Wall" (from "Spectre")

Best Foreign Language Film
"The Brand New Testament"
"The Club"
"The Fencer"
"Mustang"
"Son of Saul"

Best Animated Feature Film
"Anomalisa"
"The Good Dinosaur"
"Inside Out"
"The Peanuts Movie"
"Shaun the Sheep Movie"

 TV stuff  after the Jump 

The Lookback: The Charlie Brown Lookback : It's the Girl in the Red Truck

Peanuts the  Lookback 
                                          

    Happy New Year, and welcome back to our Charlie Brown specials Lookbacks  this is our 12th installment. "It's the Girl in the Red  Truck , Charlie Brown"  It's the 32nd special related to the Peanuts specials   it aired on CBS on September 27 , 1988.
       The first noticeable difference to this special is that you see a live action desert and  a live-action pick up truck .
                                                       

                                            Did we pick up the wrong special ?/ copyright Peanuts
          Then we see Spike , Snoopy's brother, and this will be about him  he is not a live-action dog it's back to cartoon world for this. Spike  lives inside a live-action catcus. ( words we never thought would be uttered in the English language)  and that brings us back to the live-action world.   This was all before the name of the special was introduced.   With Charlie Brown and Snoopy (ok so we will see them then?)  Back in Charlie Brown land , Snoopy gets a letter from his brother Spike.  Where Spike writes what he does on his days like take a long desert walk,  Spike, also learns French daily by cassette (aww the 80's).  One day , the highlight of this day was he waved at a girl driving  a red truck and she waved back. (awww middle school)  He sets alarm for early to make sure he can see her again.    Her truck brakes down in front of  Spike and the French tape very conveniently asks the right questions.  She talks to Spikes , fixes her truck and asks Spike if he would like to come with her.
                                                         

                                                   Comes fully loaded with cartoon seat belts / copyright peanuts

  She takes  Spike to a restaurant   that Spike apparently is the best customer at the restaurant (Snoopy has an interesting family) says the owner, Molly.   Also the girl's name is Jenny and she wants to be  a  jazz dancer , she is an aerobics instructor.   They go to her place ,when her boyfriend , Jeff, comes over, he sees Spike and thinks he's a wild animal. (unphased by the cartoon thing though, and very causal if a wild animal is around you)  Jeff tells Jenny that he set up a Jazz dance audition in a movie. for her , but it clashes with her aerobics teaching this upsets Jenny.  She says she not ready to leave everyone she teaches  and the area itself.  Jeff talks with Spike (honestly, they need these folks to keep some sound , since Spike doesn't talk)
                                                   

       
                                         Sitting on the dock of the bay/ copryight peanuts

more after the jump

The Lookback : Nickmas and Disney's One Saturday Christmas :Doug

The  Lookback 

   To keep our ratings ummmm we have ratings? This time we look at Doug (if your name is Doug we aren't looking at you , don't worry). Our title gives away a clue but we'll get to that later. Let's star.
"Doug's Christmas Story" is  a season 4 episode of Nickeloden's  series Doug and honestly , it's  a very unorthodox Christmas episode.
  Doug  starts with telling us that something bad happened starting two days before Christmas. The other kids are playing on a frozen over pond when the ice starts to crack as thin ice does. Doug's dog ,Pork Chop, sees Bebe Bluff about to go near where the nice is cracking and he tries to stop her but it doesn't work and continues on when  he bites her leg to move her away. But instead of being hailed hero dog  , Pork Chop is accused of attacking Bebe . Even Doug  keeps with the accusation.
                                                              
                                          "Bad dog!, get into your ...igloo?, what?". copyright Viacom
        Porkchop tries telling Doug that it's not what it seems (the dog doesn't talk ... he more mimes it ... cartoon logic) but for now that doesn't work.   The former mayor (this show really does hold continuity well) is hosting  a radio show when he gets a caller who talks about the girl that got attacked. (This is before the internet messed up lives...radio did)   Doug comes back home and notices a circus of media and cops at his house.

                                                          
           We are tough on crime in this town, we arrested 8 1st graders yesterday and a hamster/ copyright Viacom 
  Just like a real life politician the former mayor is also their trying to score some publicity points (or a jerk) and having the dog put away for good.   Meanwhile Mr.Bluff, BeBe's dad, is pressing charges against Porkchop . (What the heck ...what kind of town is this ... I am not paying taxes in Bluffington ...nevermind)  Doug tires a petition to help save his dog  , and besides the current Mayor's husband (she's away) signs it and everyone else chooses not to because it's a town full of jerks.  Doug decides to see Bebe  who is in the hospital ,but her father is un reasonable. (and apparently hates dogs for not having money or knowing what money is )
            For Chirstmas eve , there will be a trial , (they took the whole ..right to a speedy trial literally) Porkchop tries again to  explain to Doug what really happened.   Bebe is hauled into the courtroom in   a wheel chair ,  Doug stands up for his dog  (silly Doug wants to do things the right way) .  At the lake Porkchop starts getting relied up when Bebe this time falls into the ice  and Porkchop leaps to save her.

                                                      
                              The media is fickle , copyright Viacom
     Pork Chop is acquitted and the next day the townspeople come over and apologized (as they should)  including the Bluffs.
  That's the episode  anyway it's umm the strangest thing ever ...it's more the episode itself took place at Christmas but Christmas is really not the full theme of the episode which is interesitng to say the least.
   Tune in next  time when... (ppsst whisper whisper) oh yeah that oh well ready for more?  Join me after the Jump.