Where to be and what to watch…
By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/10/2007
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We all know the feeling. You sit through three hours of Today, then pray you had just one more blessed hour with the cheery NBC morning crew. Well, your wish has come true, as Hoda Kotb quarterbacks the new fourth hour of NBC's morning juggernaut. Speaking of new beginnings, CBS offers a sneak peek at its fall crop at the Paley Center in New York. Shows include The Big Bang Theory and Viva Laughlin. ABC does the same at the L.A. Paley with the likes of Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money. Sticking with the new theme, Meredith Corp. premieres the home design/parenting show Better in a dozen markets (we like the name Better Homes and Kindergartens better, but no one asked us). Finally, IBC 2007 wraps in Amsterdam; check out “3D, A New Dimension in Cinema” before you check out.
Tuesday, Sept. 11At long last, things start to come to a head on the 2004 Super Bowl indecency spat. Oral arguments begin regarding Janet Jackson's much ballyhooed—and then ballyhooed some more—costume reveal, which should elicit the most titillating courtroom discourse since Jury Booty came out. Back at the Paley Center in New York, the CW struts its autumnal stuff, showing off Aliens in America and the buzzy Gossip Girl, as sales S.V.P. Alison Tarrant chats about the newbies. And tune in to VH1 at 9 p.m. ET as the suddenly ubiquitous Perez Hilton—teetering dangerously close to becoming as famous as the celebutantes he blogs about—stars in the premiere of What Perez Says. As Hilton might say, if you're easily offended, you might skip it.
Wednesday, Sept. 12Quick, who founded ESPN? If you guessed Bill Rasmussen, you're a star. Get Rasmussen's take on new media and sports at the “Enhancing the Sports Fan Experience Using Virtual Environments, Social Networking and User Generated Content” wingding at SobelMedia World Headquarters in Manhattan. He shares the stage with CSTV V.P./G.M. Tom Buffalano and NFL V.P. of Media Operations Glenn Adamo, among others. Also trying to figure out how folks take their media these days is OpenDialogue, which hosts “Multicultural Marketing—Chasing a Moving Target: Understanding the Realities of the 'New' Demographics” at the Old Mill Inn in Toronto.
Thursday, Sept. 13FX offers up two new episodes of the oddball comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10, starring Danny DeVito and a bunch of wacky kids as famous as Bill Rasmussen. “The Gang Gets Invincible” sees Frank and Charlie attend a tryout for the football film Invincible. For another type of football, the Rugby World Cup is underway in France. The U.S. takes on those tough Tonga lads, and Versus has all the rucks, mauls, bumps and bruises at 5. Finally, a hearty handshake for Meredith Vieira, with a year of Today under her belt.
Friday, Sept. 14Can NBC finally turn “critically acclaimed” into “commercially successful”? Get a glimpse at its prospects when the Peacock shows its shows at the Paley in New York. Bionic Woman, starring Michelle Ryan,and Journeyman are among the newbies. Speaking of journeymen (and strong women, for that matter), struggling musicians battle it out in the new Fox reality…sorry, “docu-drama”…series Nashville at 9. We may not know much about country music, but we like songs that come up with clever rhymes for “tequila.”


















