Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1413 days ago

A Retraction and Apology

By James Poniewozik

Earlier today, I denigrated the proposed Fox variety show starring the Osbourne family by comparing the idea to The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. Afterward, I decided to surf YouTube for some clips of the Brady Bunch show, which I haven’t seen since I was a teeny boy. And now I must hereby take back and [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1413 days ago

Top Architect

By James Poniewozik

Today is my first day physically back in the TIME office, which means battling the Giant Pile of Mail. There were screeners much-awaited (HBO’s True Blood) and not-so-much-awaited (Fox’s Do Not Disturb). But the disc I immediately popped into the DVD player was one that had not been on my radar screen at all: Sundance’s [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1413 days ago

Beat Goes On for Osbournes

By James Poniewozik

Fox believes it can make Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne into the next Sonny and Cher. The network announced plans to bring the couple—and the whole Osbourne clan—on board next season as hosts of a new musical-comedy variety hour. Can That ’70s Format be revived? Fox’s answer is, essentially: why the hell not? Says Fox reality [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1413 days ago

But It's Not All Bad News…

By James Poniewozik

…or good news, depending on how you think of TV. Despite the troubles of big-scale primetime TV, the New York Times reports that people are watching more TV than ever, according to Nielsen. They’re just watching it more of it on cable, online, or on other small screens. Individual audiences may be getting smaller, but [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1413 days ago

Critics and Networks: Unhappy Together

By James Poniewozik

The Television Critics Association summer press tour begins in Los Angeles… right… about… now. Or so I’m told. I don’t go to press tours most years even when the networks have a great deal of new product to promote, and this year—when the broadcast networks have few pilots yet and are relaunching much of their [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1413 days ago

Change in the Weather

By James Poniewozik

My colleague Anita Hamilton breaks down the business of NBC Universal’s purchase of the Weather Channel. Or should we say, its purchase of weather.com: NBC may have other motivations for its new acquisition — particularly on the Web and in digital broadcasts. While consumers have little reason to type nbc.com into their browsers, The Weather [...]