SCRIPTED NEWS:
Glen Mazzara Prepping ‘Omen’ Follow-Up for Lifetime
The former "Walking Dead" showrunner will pen the script for "Damien" via his overall deal with Fox Television Studios. The drama centers on the film’s young boy Damien Thorn. Now an adult and haunted by his past, Damien is faced with a series of macabre events and must finally face his true destiny: he is the Antichrist. Mazzara will pen the script and executive produce via his 44 Strong Productions banner. The sale marks Mazzara’s first via his overall deal with Fox Television Studios. Ross Fineman (Lights Out) will also executive produce via his FTVS-based Fineman Entertainment.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/glen-mazzara-prepping-omen-follow-705083
‘Under the Dome’ casts ‘Person of Interest’ actor as Barbie’s dad
The CBS summer thriller has cast Brett Cullen as Barbie’s father Don Barbara on the show.
http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/19/under-the-dome-casts-person-of-interest-actor-as-barbies-dad/
Sony Pictures Television Unveils Diverse Directors Program
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) announced its Los Angeles-based Diverse Directors Program on Monday. Following an application process, 20 semi-finalists will take part in a June episodic directing workshop and attend networking events and lectures with industry professionals on the Sony Lot in Culver City, Calif. Three finalists will then be invited into the program to shadow participating TV directors on various series. Participants may even get the opportunity to direct an episode of an SPT series next season.
http://www.thewrap.com/sony-pictures-television-unveils-diverse-directors-program/
Hayley Atwell Discusses The Agent Carter Show, Promises Eight Episode First Season
We knew that the first year’s worth of Agent Carter was going to be short, but previous information suggested that we’d be in for thirteen episodes. According to Hayley Atwell, who should know, there are going to be eight episodes in this run. Actually, she’s talking about the whole thing like it’s a single-year project, something self contained.
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/05/16/hayley-atwell-discusses-the-agent-carter-show-promises-eight-episode-first-season/
Nashville Staying Put in Nashville; Tax Incentives Keep Show from Moving to Texas or Georgia
Nashville and its namesake Tennessee city will continue to make beautiful music together, now that a deal has been reached to keep the ABC drama from relocating production for Season 3 to Texas or Georgia.
http://tvline.com/2014/05/16/nashville-season-3-production-staying-in-nashville/
AdWeek: 5 Time Slot Brawls to Watch This Fall
With radically altered prime-time lineups at ABC and Fox, football on Thursday at CBS, and an NBC slate without its Thursday comedy block, the season is shaping up to be anything but the same old story. The only network that didn’t really change much was The CW, which is sticking with its costumes-and-cheekbones formula. Here are our matchups to keep an eye on.
http://www.adweek.com/news/television/5-time-slot-brawls-watch-fall-157751
FEATURE NEWS:
Buzzfeed: Hollywood’s Big Gamble On Untested Directors Is Finally Paying Off
Godzilla, only the second film directed by Gareth Edwards, opened with $93.2 million. It’s one of the best-ever debuts for a filmmaker who’s never made a studio movie before.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/godzilla-gareth-edwards-box-office
NON-SCRIPTED/ALTERNATIVE NEWS:
History explores sunken Santa Maria
History in the US has paired up with a UK production company to film the wreckage site of what an underwater archaeologist believes to be the sunken Santa Maria. The A+E Networks-owned cablenet will work with October Films to record the discovery of the famous wreckage, which will be made into a television event to premiere at a later date.
http://www.c21media.net/history-explores-sunken-santa-maria/
‘River Monsters’ renewed by Animal Planet
Jeremy Wade will be back with his scary underwater creatures: Animal Planet has renewed River Monsters for a seventh season.
http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/19/river-monsters-renewed-by-animal-planet/
‘Dream School’ Renewed for Second Season by Sundance TV
SundanceTV announced today the greenlight of season two of the original non-fiction series “Dream School.” Multi-platinum award-winning musician and entrepreneur Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson will executive produce along with one of hip-hop’s most influential and positive voices Chuck D. “Dream School” is an ambitious project where the best and the brightest in our culture teach kids that have been falling through the cracks.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/05/19/dream-school-renewed-for-second-season-by-sundance-tv/265572/
DWTS Pro Mark Ballas ‘Seriously Injured’ During Season Finale Rehearsal
Candace Cameron Bure went from frontrunner to underdog overnight after a critical injury landed her Dancing With the Stars partner Mark Ballas in the hospital on Sunday.
http://tvline.com/2014/05/19/mark-ballas-injury-dancing-with-the-stars-season-finale/
Here’s What You Missed at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards
Justin Timberlake beat Beyoncé (but neither was there); Miley Cyrus got Top Streaming Artist; "Blurred Lines" took most of the song stuff; and Jennifer Lopez was given the first Icon Award (that’s Billboard’s version of the lifetime achievement award, a.k.a. the "You’re old and we’re gonna force you to show up" prize). Otherwise, it was pop music’s finest talent show, with a bunch of performances, a resurrected (via holgram) Michael Jackson, and multiple TelePrompTer screw-ups. It was a great night! If you forgot to DVR, here’s what you might’ve missed.
http://www.vulture.com/2014/05/2014-billboard-music-awards.html
NEW MEDIA NEWS:
Twitch chooses Google over Microsoft amid multiple buyout offers
Google’s YouTube has reached a deal to buy Twitch, a popular videogame-streaming company, for more than $1 billion.
http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/18/5729762/twitch-youtube-acquisition-report
INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
(awards) Netflix Wins International Award at BAFTA for ‘Breaking Bad’
Netflix took home the International Award for “Breaking Bad” at the BAFTA Television Awards on Sunday. Crime drama “Broadchurch” was recognized in three categories. The program also won a BAFTA in the highly competitive drama series category. “The IT Crowd” was rewarded in both comedy performance categories. The BAFTA for situation comedy went to “Him & Her: The Wedding,” the first of two awards won by BBC Three.
http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/netflix-wins-international-award-at-bafta-for-breaking-bad-1201185477/
TWDC NEWS:
Disneyland Raises Ticket Prices
Disney has raised ticket prices at Disneyland as the summer theme park-going season is about to heat up. Admission prices for a single ticket to the park in Anaheim, Calif. for guests 10 years old and up is now $96, an increase of $4. An adult park hopper pass to Disneyland and sister park California Adventure is now $150, up from $137.
http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/disneyland-raises-ticket-prices-1201185540/
EXECUTIVE/TALENT NEWS:
Bob Greenblatt Leads NBC Back to No. 1
NBC came to the upfront derby this year with the best ratings growth story of any major network during the 2013-14 season. Fallon has brought new sizzle to latenight, and primetime boasts a stylish new hit in “The Blacklist.” Finally, after a decade in the Nielsen basement, NBC is about to clinch its first season-long primetime win in the adults 18-49 demographic since 2004, the year “Friends” went off the air.
http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/bob-greenblatt-nbc-jimmy-fallon-ratings-1201185518/
Team Greenblatt: Key Players in NBC’s Turnaround in Progress
Jennifer Salke has known Greenblatt for more than 20 years, thanks to his longtime friendship with her husband, Bert Salke (head of 20th Century Fox TV’s Fox 21 banner). Paul Telegdy survived on his wits, development skills and derring-do during the exec housecleaning that inevitably came with the Greenblatt transition. Jeff Bader knows a thing or two about network regime changes, having spent 24 years at ABC before joining NBC in August 2012.
http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/bob-greenblatts-lean-team-of-top-execs-at-nbc-1201185539/
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS:
Buzzfeed: How The "Scandal" Effect Has Changed Television
The insidious consequence of television’s tokenism has been creating a world in which people of color do not star in their own lives. It wasn’t until Scandal — and its star, Kerry Washington — became a phenomenon last year that both anecdotal and ratings evidence smashed executives over their heads. And the result is the upcoming season’s diverse lineup.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/how-the-scandal-effect-has-changed-television
NFL Sunday Ticket Is Linchpin of AT&T, DirecTV Deal
DirecTV’s rights to NFL Sunday Ticket—a football package that gives subscribers access to every NFL game that plays on Sunday—is so important that it is a key clause in the deal with AT&T. If DirecTV is unable to keep exclusive rights to the premium sports package, AT&T retains the right to back out of the $48.5 billion transaction.
http://www.adweek.com/news/television/nfl-sunday-ticket-linchpin-att-directv-deal-157830
Nielsen Launches Twitter Demo Ratings Service
Nielsen has launched demographic data for its Twitter TV Ratings that will be delivered overnight for programming across more than 250 U.S. TV networks. Age ranges will include 13-17, 18-24, 25-34, 35-54, 55+, and 18-49 and will provide data on the age and gender of both people who tweet (authors) and see tweets (audience) about TV. According to the research, in the U.S. 36 million people tweeted about TV in 2013, while 990 million tweets were sent about TV.
http://www.deadline.com/2014/05/new-nielsen-research-claims-twitters-good-for-networks-advertisers/
Atlantic: Best longform journalism of 2013
Conor Friedersdorf has published his picks for the best journalism of 2013.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/05/slightly-more-than-100-fantastic-pieces-of-journalism/284564/
The Morning Update 