Mel's Diner
Interviews with TV industry figures over their favorite meals.
TCA 2010: Pie ‘n Burger ‘n Brian Williams
The Langham Huntington in Pasadena, which is host this week to the TCA press tour (Complete Coverage of the Winter Press Tour), is a luxury hotel set on 23 acres and features a Michelin star restaurant and a world-class spa. But none of the landmark estate’s offerings are apparently as compelling to NBC Nightly News’ Brian Williams as a local burger joint. The anchor, who is known to ...... Read More
Comments (0)A 'GMA' Recipe for George
Now that it’s official, George Stephanopoulos started the job as co-anchor of Good Morning America Dec. 14, Mel’s Diner would like to serve up an idea for how Stephanopoulos can wear the sunshiny morning-show-chef’s hat and serious-political-journalist-guy hat simultaneously: Take a look at what we do here. We understand Stephanopoulos’ concern about preserving his hard ...... Read More
Comments (0)Carlton Cuse, Shawn Ryan and Fastfood Flashbacks
Lost executive producer Carlton Cuse had the kind of flashback we love at Mel’s Diner the other day during a phone interview. I called him to talk about Lie to Me showrunner and The Shield creator Shawn Ryan, who we featured in B&C’s Fifth Estater column Sept. 21 (Related: The Truth About Shawn Ryan) Cuse gave Ryan his first staff writing job, on Cuse-created CBS drama Nash Bridg ...... Read More
Comments (0)Turner's Michael Wright Working on His Six-Pack
WHO: Michael Wright, executive VP/head of programming, TNT, TBS and Turner Classic MoviesWHERE: Iroha Sushi, Studio City, Calif.WHEN: Aug. 26, 2009THE DISH: TNT will probably again stick with six scripted series next summer, as it did this season for the first time. However, that doesn’t mean summer 2010 will feature the same half-dozen originals currently on the network. “I used to ...... Read More
Comments (0)FX's John Landgraf Wants To Bring the Noise...Again
WHO: John Landgraf, President-General Manager, FX Networks WHERE: Versailles, Culver City, Calif. WHEN: June 2009 THE DISH: When FX launched edgy Emmy-winning drama The Shield in 2002, it proved what was then thought impossible: A basic cable network could be home to one of the best original shows on TV. And as the network pumped out more hits, FX became known for its gritty, high-quality fare ...... Read More
Comments (0)Lionsgate TV's Kevin Beggs: A Guide's Guide
WHO: Kevin Beggs, Lionsgate TV Programming and Production President WHERE: Julienne, San Marino, Calif. WHEN: April 27, 2009, lunch THE DISH: How’s this for some good news: There is a new buyer in town. Shortly after Lionsgate, the indie studio behind the huge horror franchise Saw and TV series Mad Men, Weeds and Crash, acquired TV Guide Network for $255 million in March, the network made a ...... Read More
Comments (0)Sue Naegle's New Recipe for HBO
WHO: Sue Naegle, President of Entertainment, HBO WHERE: Le Pain Quotidien, Studio City, Calif. WHEN: April 2009 THE DISH: It’s just a few weeks shy of a year since Sue Naegle made her big career shift when we meet for breakfast at the casual, quiet Le Pain Quotidien in Studio City. She left her 16-year stint at talent agency UTA to become president of entertainment at HBO on May 1, 2008, an ...... Read More
Comments (5)Good morning, TV Biz Twitterers. What’s for Breakfast?
Does anyone really care about what other people eat for breakfast? It’s a legitimate question prompted by the proliferation of meaningless info in the social-networking media age. Here at Mel’s Diner, of course, the answer is often “Yes.” I care more about what folks in the TV industry have to say over their meals (particularly during an interview with yours truly) than ...... Read More
Comments (0)Who in TV Ate What Today -- According to Twitter
We’ve all been hearing a lot recently about Twitter, its democratization of media/info/etc etc and the incredible things we can all learn from it. In the last few days, I couldn’t resist the urge to check out how it’s evolved since I set up a couple of accounts last year, which I’ve left largely dormant until now. This weekend I picked one account (twitter.com/melissagr ...... Read More
Comments (0)How to Eat Cheap -- Part Deux
Several readers kindly pointed us in the direction of more ways to dine out on fewer dimes since I posted How to Eat Cheap. Thank you for your responses! Among the tips or deals I’ve stumbled on since… *Tasting Table posted a calendar online of New York City recession deals on a section of its Web site dedicated to the New York area . (I definitely recommend double-checking with the ...... Read More
Comments (1)New Rules for Working Meals
For years, a major media company’s communications executive and I have met for lunch at the same reasonably priced French restaurant halfway between his office in Burbank and mine on Wilshire Boulevard. And for years, we fought over the check. Until the other day. When the bill arrived, we looked at each other, sensing unfamiliar territory. Then in unison, we offered: “Split it? ...... Read More
Comments (0)How to Eat Cheap
Chances are your interest in going out to eat hasn’t waned at all since you dutifully started to reel in your T&E spending; you may, in fact, find yourself wanting to get out to eat even more since cutting back on the official wining and dining. But believe it or not, there’s some good news about the recession: Feeding your dining habit out of your own hard-earned ducats can actu ...... Read More
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