Category: Television

The CBS war with ABC over ‘Glass House’ took an unexpected turn when CBS issued a fake press release mocking ABC. Though I think every show is essentially a rip-off of another show, CBS argues that this is an especially unique carbon copy, given that ABC used CBS staff members to duplicate the format. Read and enjoy the press release below. At least someone has a sense of humor. And speaking of a sense of humor, CBS certainly got the last laugh when ‘Glass House’ tanked in the ratings.

CBS ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF “DANCING ON THE STARS,” AN EXCITING AND COMPLETELY ORIGINAL REALITY PROGRAM THAT OWES ITS CONCEPT AND EXECUTION TO NOBODY AT ALL

Los Angeles, June 21, 2012 – Subsequent to recent developments in the creative and legal community, CBS Television today felt it was appropriate to reveal the upcoming launch of an exciting, ground-breaking and completely original new reality program for the CBS Television Network.

The dazzling new show, DANCING ON THE STARS, will be broadcast live from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and will feature moderately famous and sort of well-known people you almost recognize competing for big prizes by dancing on the graves of some of Hollywood’s most iconic and well-beloved stars of stage and screen.

The cemetery, the first in Hollywood, was founded in 1899 and now houses the remains of Andrew “Fatty” Arbuckle, producer Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Paul Muni, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, George Harrison of the Beatles and Dee Dee Ramone of the Ramones, among many other great stars of stage, screen and the music business. The company noted that permission to broadcast from the location is pending, and that if efforts in that regard are unsuccessful, approaches will be made to Westwood Village Memorial Park, where equally scintillating luminaries are interred.

“This very creative enterprise will bring a new sense of energy and fun that’s totally unlike anything anywhere else, honest,” said a CBS spokesperson, who also revealed that the Company has been working with a secret team for several months on the creation of the series, which was completely developed by the people at CBS independent of any other programming on the air. “Given the current creative and legal environment in the reality programming business, we’re sure nobody will have any problem with this title or our upcoming half-hour comedy for primetime, POSTMODERN FAMILY.”

Thirty seconds into watching the pilot for Veep, it occurred to me what a real comedy looks like. I’ve lowered my standards so much in our current television climate, that I forgot what it’s like for a show to make me actually laugh out loud. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a comedic genius, and she’s the only one who could make such a ridiculous character likable. The show centers around the Vice President (played by Louis-Dreyfus), and you never see the President. She’s temperamental and nuts, and when she brings people into her office she greets them with, “Did you know I get my own flag?” Watch the trailer below. My apologies to the show for not endorsing this sooner.