Here & there
TNT saves axed drama 'Southland'
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Nov 3, 2009 - 1:01:28 AM

TNT saves axed NBC drama 'Southland'
TNT wasn't kidding when it said it wanted to compete with broadcast. In fact, it's even poaching programs from the Big Three. NBC drama “Southland” is moving to TNT after being axed before even airing a single episode this season. TNT has picked up all 13 episodes of the drama, including the seven that aired on NBC last season and the six that were supposed to air this fall. “Southland,” which averaged a 2.2 C3 rating among viewers 18-49 last season, according to Nielsen, will premiere on TNT on Jan. 12. Under the deal, TNT will gauge how well the show performs before ordering additional episodes. Meanwhile, in other programming, Oxygen has ordered a second season of the dance competition “Dance Your Ass Off,” after season one averaged 382,000 women 18-49. The new season will premiere sometime in 2010. G4 has picked up a second season of “Human Wrecking Balls,” rolling out Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. BBC America will premiere the fifth season of “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” on Dec. 2 at 8 p.m., with season two of the American version of the series premiering on Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. Speaking of Ramsay, he will co-produce and star in Fox’s “MasterChef,” in which non-professionals will compete in cooking challenges. There’s no word yet on when that show will premiere. And HBO is working on a movie adaptation of the book “Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age.” The story covers 30 years beginning with the demise of disco in the 1970s and running through the advent of digital downloads.

Out West, another newspaper shuts down
After more than 100 years and a number of name changes, the East Valley Tribune in Arizona is following the Rocky Mountain News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Ann Arbor News out of print. Freedom Arizona yesterday said the paper will end its run on Dec. 31, closing all four local editions in Mesa, Queen Creek, Gilbert and Chandler, Ariz. Freedom had been trying to sell the newspaper, but it was never able to find a buyer. Chief executive officer Burl Osborne said in a release, “Unfortunately, we have yet to identify a suitable partner to purchase the East Valley Tribune. As a result, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to wind down these operations.” The free community newspaper publishes every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and also has a presence online at EastValleyTribune.com. Unlike many other papers and magazines that have shuttered during this downturn, the web site will also shut down at the end of the year. The paper has been in trouble for some time. Last year it cut 142 employees, and in January it ceased coverage of Scottsdale and Tempe. Now most of its remaining 140 employees will be out of work, although severance packages will be provided and some jobs might be available in other areas of the company.

Study: A third spent less on Halloween this year
For many, though by no means a majority, this Halloween meant more tricks than treats. A new study finds that 31 percent of Americans spent less money on the holiday this year compared to last year. That's according to HCD Research, based on a sampling from MediaCurves.com, which surveyed respondents from Thursday to Monday. It found that 50 percent spent the same amount this year as last, while 19 percent actually spent more this year. The vast majority of respondents, 86 percent, said that they gave out candy on Halloween, including chocolate, lollipops and chewy candies. Just 6 percent gave our snacks such as chips, pretzels and nuts, while 5 percent distributed non-edible treats like toys and games. Four percent gave out cookies and cupcakes, which were presumably tossed into the trash by adults; everyone knows in this era of whackos that you don't accept baked goods from strangers.

Inquirer: Oops, the Phillies didn't win the Series
Philadelphia residents who watched their Phillies fall behind 3-1 in the World Series Sunday night may have been confused to see an ad in the next day's paper from Macy's congratulating the team on their World Series repeat. The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a full-page ad Monday that read in part: "Congratulations Phillies! Back-to-back champs." That appeared atop a picture of a 2009 World Series champs T-shirt on sale at the department store. The problem, of course, is that the Phillies did not win the series, though they also have not lost yet after beating New York last night. "The Inquirer deeply regrets this error," said a note to readers posted on the web yesterday from vice president of national advertising Howard Griffin. "Macy's is a great corporate citizen, supporter of this region and our sports teams." Sports bloggers were having a lot of fun with the mistake yesterday. Noted Deadspin: "Even [Phillies closer] Brad Lidge can't save this disaster."



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