Police: TLC shows
spur Discovery standoff
Other shorts: The new Apple TV, now with 99-cent rentals
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Sep 2, 2010
Police: Discovery gunman angry over TLC shows
Today police are still sorting through the aftermath of yesterday's bizarre hostage situation at Discovery Communications headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., where gunman James Jay Lee was eventually shot and killed after threatening staffers as part of a bizarre protest against Discovery's TLC network programming. Lee, whose savetheplanetprotest.com web site suggests a man obsessed with population control, had a list of demands that included the suspension of TLC programming that he said glamorizes multiple births, such as "Kate Plus 8," "Quints By Surprise" and "19 Kids and Counting." Police say Lee claimed to have a gun and a bomb during yesterday's four-hour standoff, in which three hostages were taken. Police entered the building and shot Lee after building security cameras showed that he had pulled a handgun on one of the hostages. Lee had a history of protesting against TLC. Two years ago he led a protest outside Discovery headquarters that eventually resulted in a disorderly conduct charge, during which he demanded the network start airing programs about human sterilization.
The new Apple TV, now with 99-cent rentals
Apple went ahead and introduced its newest version of Apple TV yesterday despite the fact that it only got two broadcast networks on board with the new service. At a price point of $99, the new Apple TV will offer 99-cent rentals for episodes of shows from Fox and ABC, thanks to partnerships with parent companies News Corp. and Walt Disney. Noticeably absent: Partnerships with other major broadcast or cable parent companies, like NBC Universal, CBS, Viacom or Discovery Communications. That's because they are none too thrilled about the terms laid out by Apple for rentals, which are more expensive on iTunes. Apple wants to keep roughly a third of the rental fee and believes that by lowering the price it will attract more customers. Content providers are not in agreement. Of course if Apple TV's latest incarnation takes off, they may rethink their objections.
Programming notes: Conan's show is 'Conan'
After all the hype over what Conan O'Brien's new TBS late-night show would be named, this is a bit of a letdown: It's just plain "Conan." The comedian posted a video on YouTube yesterday to announce the title of the upcoming late-night program, and he came up with the most straightforward one possible (albeit presented in a very entertaining way). In the video O'Brien explained the decision thusly: "Conan. Simple. Pure. Like the man himself." The show premieres on Nov. 8. Meanwhile, in other programming, Logo on will premiere "The Arrangement" on Oct. 4 at 11 p.m., a floral design reality competition series. Los Angeles Four Seasons Hotel floral designer Eric Buterbaugh will serve as the head judge on the eight-episode series, in which contestants will face varying challenges. And HBO has picked up a 10-episode third season of "Hung," to air sometime next year. The second season of the Thomas Jane comedy ends on Sept. 12.
Ratings roundup: 'Real Housewives' reunion soars
While some may question the use of the word "real" in its title (it certainly can't be used to refer to hair, body parts and actual real life), Bravo's "Real Housewives" franchise has never been more popular. On Monday part one of a two-part "Real Housewives of New Jersey" reunion episode averaged 3.9 million total viewers and 2.7 million viewers 18-49, according to Nielsen, an all-time best in any demo for the five-edition "Real Housewives" franchise. So little wonder, Bravo is expanding the franchise. Bravo will premiere "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" on Oct. 10 and also this week ordered new seasons of the "New Jersey" and "New York" editions. Meanwhile, in other ratings, E!'s annual post-Emmys fashion critique was the most-watched ever. "Fashion Police: The 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards" averaged 1.1 million total viewers on Monday at 10 p.m., making it the best-ever Emmy version of the show. And the third-season finale of Animal Planet's "Whale Wars" last Friday averaged 1.12 million 25-54s and 1.07 million 18-49s, capping a strong run. This season was up versus season two by 29 percent among both total viewers and 18-49s, as well as 27 percent among 25-54s.
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