IDOL - Up, Up and Away!

It seems we still don't know high "up" is.

The two night premiere of AMERICAN IDOL has redefined 'up' once again, delivering about 15% more eyeballs to sponsor messages than last year.

The numbers are simply gi-normous. 37 million folks. To give you some sort of scale, until this week DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES was the number one show on TV - delivering a mere 20 million viewers a week. IDOL isn't just #1, it's crossing the finish line while the other horses are entering the final turn.

The beastie out drew all the other networks combined.

Pity the poor CW. The FOX audience was 34 times larger than the CW.

One hour of IDOL = 34 hours of VERONICA MARS. That's more episodes than the show makes in a season. Granted, VERONICA was a re-run, but play along.

Following the above formula, if you were an advertiser who purchased a spot in every hour of IDOL for this season, you would have to buy VERONICA MARS once a week for 26 years to cume the same value.

26 years.

G4 Gets an F

Back in the day (1998-2004) there was a fine little cable channel called TECH TV.

It was a brilliant bit of narrowcasting, aimed at every level of computer users, novice to hacker. I didn't watch every day, but every time I checked in to see what Leo Laporte was up to on THE SCREEN SAVERS, I learned something.

It was basic cable at its most basic, and at its best.

Sometime in early 2004, G4 bought Tech TV, fired everybody and forced a merger of the two channels. Now G4 is all that remains of the little channel that could.

Tonight, while surfing, I bumped into G4's coverage of the Adult Entertainment Expo from Las Vegas. In the same week that Steve Jobs announced the launch the iPhone (trademark infringement lawsuit pending) at a much more important expo across town, G4 went booth to booth at AEE. The very same channel I used to watch Leo tell the world about cutting edge technology was covering porn.

Isn't ANYONE in charge THINKING? The suits at this channel actually thought this was PALATABLE? They felt THIS would serve their shareholders' best interests? I can't explain to you how uncomfortable it was to see the guy and gal hosts of the 'program' chatting about the 'coolness' of micro vibrators as if they were discussing the merits of the latest Playstation release.

Coverage included 'comedy' pieces about a school for adult actors and the history of porn - along with a count down of the top 10 adult DVDs of the year (including plentiful blurry clips).

Mind you, this wasn't on a premium cable channel. This wasn't REAL SEX on HBO. This was basic cable, covering a porn expo like they were covering a video game convention.

I understand that the young male audience G4 is targeting likes and consumes porn. But they also probably smoke their share of pot, too. Should the channel review the various paraphernalia used to smoke weed?

It's just bad form. Leo would be ashamed.

What's next, a lingerie fashion show on CBS?

Oh. Never mind.

7 Minutes of Emptiness

At 6:53PM local time today, something happened that I haven't seen in years.

My TiVo was empty.

That's right. Empty. Caught up on THE O.C., HOUSE, HEROES - you name it. Nothing left to watch.

For seven whole minutes.

And then, at 7, the better half triggered some home fix it show on HGTV. At 8, we grabbed THE SOPRANOS on A&E.

And after seven minutes that must have seemed like an eternity to the magic little elves in the TiVo box, they weren't alone anymore.

Just goes to show how little has been on TV over the last 2 weeks.

Coming soon - 24, IDOL, LOST, BONES, HOUSE, HEROES, THE O.C., THE SIMPSONS, tons of stuff I won't have time to watch live.

Even the TiVo deserves a break for the holidays, right?

Now, back to work, you!

FOX Juggernauts Return

It's got to be tough to be a suit at NBC, ABC or CBS this time of year. They all have to know they have but one more week of normalcy to enjoy before their world turns upside down. Again.

(Cue the theme to JAWS)

Yep, it's January and that means it's time for "24" and "AMERICAN IDOL" to return.

The Jack Bauer Power Hour is back following what I felt was one of its most disjointed, yet accessible seasons. Day 5 saw the show tweak its formula a bit, killing off several key characters and devising more payoffs within the 24 episode storyline.

These changes allowed new viewers to better understand the goings on. Complicated backstories were dispatched along with their associated characters. The multiple resolutions within the overall arc also allowed new viewers better access. Ultimately, I believe it was this new-found accessibility that allowed Emmy voters to award the show with its Best Drama trophy.

Day 6 promises Jack's return from Chinese custody and an outbreak of domestic terrorism that has claimed over 1,000 lives. You can see an extended promo for Day 6 here.

And then there's that other beastie, lurking in the distance - "AMERICAN IDOL."

Last year, I had my doubts about the continued growth of the franchise, but was ultimately proven wrong. This year, I'm expecting even higher numbers due to ABC's moving "LOST" out of the way. ABC's sacrificing of "THE KNIGHTS OF PROSPERITY" and "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY" stands as a spineless move by a network that has strayed from a very promising path.

Tons of promotional stuff, including downloads of previous contestants' new releases are available at americanidol.com.

How high is up for FOX? This may be the year we find out.

The Sun Sets on THE O.C.

When FOX moved THE O.C. to Thursday nights, it backed up its decision with a plethora of research that showed the program's audience was made up of THE trendsetters of the future - young teen and pre-teen girls who were already abandoning SURVIVOR in droves.

Well, so much for that strategy.

THE O.C. has been cancelled.

Those young trendsetters seem to be more interested in Dr. McDreamy or UGLY BETTY or something. After season 3's a year long Marissa Downer-Cooper angst-fest, THE O.C. has returned this year with guns blazing. It's brighter, happier and full of promise.

But, such is life on TV. Good shows come and go, the ebb and flow, their quality drops off and they fade away. Not this time. This time, the show has been reborn and it will be going out in style - strong, funny and yes, even innovative.

THE O.C. will return to the schedule January 4th with the first of 8 new episodes. Unfortunately, they'll also be the last of 8 new episodes.

Smoke 'em while you got 'em.