E.L.E.

Extinction Level Event ... when I first heard this I thought of a movie with Morgan Freeman, but couldn't remember what it was. Turns out it was Deep Impact - where the comet hit the Earth ... same premise as Armageddon, equally lackluster movies - thought I think I might go find Deep Impact right now and watch it, haha. Deep Impact has a quote about E.L.E. - who a reporter thinks is a mistress, but it turns out she has discovered the fact that a comet is headed towards Earth. Anyway ... the point of this whole thing is an op-ed in The Paper of Record that made me shed a tear - it was titled Extinction-Level Television Event.

Alan Spinwall writes what NBC's decision to surrender its 10PM timeslot to Jay Leno really means for the television world as we know it. That timeslot has been the home of some of the greatest shows - including the long-running ER, and leaves each of the Three Networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) with only 10 hours of primetime programming per week (M-F, 8-10PM; Saturday is not a TV day; Sunday is for football). Only ten hours ... wow. As someone who grew up in the cable-world, with cable - I suppose I shouldn't be surprised ... Cable TV has everything, the Networks have very little.

I suggest you read the Op-Ed, I linked it - here - again. Any in order to drive you to read it, I am going to take two thought-provoking excerpts from the piece. One:

This reminds me of a joke Tina Fey told at the Television Critics Association awards ceremony. She thanked us “for making ‘30 Rock’ the most successful cable show on broadcast television,” and added: “Oh, it’s a great time to be on broadcast television, isn’t it? It’s exciting! It’s like being in vaudeville in the ’60s!”

and two:

To use a pop culture metaphor that everyone should (I hope) understand, the networks are Wile E. Coyote running off a cliff. So long as they pump their legs and assume there’s solid ground beneath their feet, they get to keep moving. But as soon as one of them gives up and looks at where it is, as NBC has with the Jay Leno deal, there’s nowhere to go but way, way down.

Sadness ... I hope this isn't really true - but it seems that it is.


Also ... on a completely unrelated note. I am going to ride the Nostalgia train on Sunday -- look forward to pictures!