Two Cents
By Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/8/2003
"The camera should be used to make more accessible those elements of government that are truly meant to be public, like trials, not to invade those elements that are properly private, like jury deliberations. The beauty of the camera is that it can expand the courtroom and enable the public to freely observe the functioning of the judicial branch of government, as was intended by the founders."
Court TV CEO Henry Schleiff on cameras in the courtroom for an op-ed piece in The New York Times.
"Kutcher doesn't need to make good movies in order to stay on the cover of People. He just needs celebrity ex-girlfriends insulting his genitalia on national television."
Heather Havrilesky, Salon.com, on a comment made by Ashton Kutcher's ex-girlfriend Brittany Murphy on The Late Show With David Letterman.
"Then there's the absence of physical labor. Yes, there are 'working class' folks on television and in movies. But their screen time is devoted to as little actual plumbing or package delivery as Kramer spent ditch digging—or any kind of hard work for that matter—on Seinfeld. Are there no comedies or life lessons in labor-intensive situations?"
David Perlmutter in The Christian Science Monitor on the lack of actual work on TV shows.
"The problem is Paramount owns the rights to everything Star Trek, so even if it was a good idea, I still wouldn't own it. Why bother giving them a good idea when they're going to own it?"
William Shatner to the Calgary Sun about his idea to revitalize the flagging Star Trek franchise.
"What better way to reach our target, men 18 to 49, than while they are a captive audience?"
TBS Superstation's Jeff Gregor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Caroline Wilbert on TBS's plan to put talking ads above men's room urinals.
"Lap of Luxury is a campy amalgam of Big Brother, Survivor and Joe Millionaire... There is banter about journeys, adventures and hooking up, creature comforts and self-help scrums. And the contests are absurd enough to be believable to those of us used to seeing people debase themselves on Fear Factor. Which is really saying something, since the second contest is called 'Hands on a High-Priced Hooker.' "
Melanie McFarland, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, on Spike TV's Joe Schmoe and its reality show send-up Lap of Luxury.
