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President Barack Obama’s team used cable TV to outmaneuver Mitt Romney’s campaign in the final days before the election, according to a Reuters analysis. With polls showing a tight race, Obama’s campaign exploited cable TV’s diverse lineup to target women on channels such as Food Network and Lifetime and men on networks such as ESPN. Obama’s team used the fragmentation of cable TV’s audience to target tailored messages to voters in battleground states. Romney’s campaign relied on a more traditional mass saturation of broadcast TV. The Romney camp was entirely dark on cable TV for two of the campaign’s last seven days, according to the analysis. “We don’t know why. This was a week before the election and you’re in the fight for your life,” said Timothy Kay, political director for cable industry consortium NCC Media.
Starz’ ‘Magic City’ Heads For Havana, Chicago With James Cann: TCA
Diane Haithman is contributing to Deadline’s TCA coverage.
Season 2 of Starz’ Magic City will expand the action to Havana, Cuba and Chicago, and adds to the cast Godfather veteran James Caan as the mob boss overseeing Ben “The Butcher” Diamond. Show 
creator/writer/director Mitch Glazer calls the canvas “bigger and yet more intimate than last season.”
And at today’s TCA panel on Starz, Caan talked about why he took the role, at first joking that he was in line to take over a square on Hollywood Squares when Glazer called. More seriously, he said it was the quality of the material. But when asked whether doing another mob role after Godfather represented coming full circle in his career, Caan said: “I’m not Anthony Quinn just yet. The truth is that I care very much about what I do, I try to maintain a little bit of integrity. I had the pleasure of watching [the show] beforehand, 
it was just well-written, beautifully shot, and I thought it would be fun in a creative way and it was. I really didn’t have any specific reason other than that it was good.” Watch a trailer for the new season below.
Cast member Danny Huston commented on his Golden Globe nomination for supporting actor for portraying mobster Ben … Read More »
‘Da Vinci’s Demons’ Will Be “Viewed Through A Modern Prism”: TCA
Diane Haithman is contributing to Deadline’s TCA coverage.
At today’s panel on Starz’ new series Da Vinci’s Demons, David S. Goyer, the show’s creator, writer and executive producer, said that his first historical period project would be about 85% historically accurate. “He had a pretty incredible life, we didn’t have to embellish as much as you’d think,” Goyer said of Da Vinci, portrayed by Tom Reilly. Goyer pointed out that though Da Vinci is best known as an artist and scientist, he was also thought to be a great horseman. Turning Da Vinci into a TV superhero was not too difficult: “He’s kind of superhero-y anyway.” You can watch a trailer for the show below.
Goyer described the tone of the show as historical but “viewed through a modern prism” and likened it to a graphic novel that strives to be fun rather than a history book. He also said that there are surprising parallels between Da Vinci and Batman: “They both had big father issues, and formative horrific incidents when they were trapped in caves,” he said. He also noted that Batman’s creator designed Batman’s cape based on Da Vinci’s glider designs.
Goyer added that one of the conceits of the show is that thousands of pages are missing from Da Vinci’s writings and drawings. The show will speculate on what might have been included in those pages.
SAG Awards Red Carpet Bleacher Seat Online Auction Ends At 6PM Jan. 13
The SAG Awards Red Carpet Bleacher Seat Auction, the second in a trio of online auctions benefitting the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, is underway at sagawards.org/auction. Film and television fans will be able to bid on 135 bleacher seats, from which they’ll see their favorite stars walk the SAG Awards’ red carpet and have the opportunity to take pictures and request autographs. Special VIP positioning includes four front-row seats across from the People.com platform, four across from the E! platform and four across from the wall of photographers, among others. The auction began at 6 PM PT Thursday and closes at 6PM PT Sunday, January 13.
RATINGS RAT RACE: Fox Scores With Cotton Bowl; CBS & ABC Originals Slip
It was a total touchdown for Fox on Friday night. The network took the night with the Cotton Bowl (3.1/9) as Texas A&M soundly beat their former Big 12 rival Oklahoma. 11.207 million viewers, solidly ahead of anything else on TV last night, watched the college football game. While ratings of the live event are approximate and subject to greater change than usual in the final numbers, last night’s 8–10 PM broadcast was up solidly from the 2.5 rating the Cotton Bowl scored on January 6, 2012. Fox won the night in overall viewers and among the adult 18-49 demographic.
Back with original shows after three weeks, ABC’s comedies Last Man Standing (1.4/4) and Malibu Country (1.2/4) were both down from the 1.5 rating they earned on their December 14 airing. A new Shark Tank (1.8/5) followed, watched by 6.338 million last night. The reality show was down a tenth from the 1.9 rating its last original Friday broadcast drew back on November 16. At 10 PM, ABC had 20/20 (1.4/4) devoted to weight loss. Back after two weeks of preemptions, the news magazine show was down from the 1.6 rating it got on December 14. On CBS, there were also dips. Undercover Boss (1.5/5) was down from the 1.6 rating the reality show had on its last original show on December 7. CSI: NY (1.4/4) pulled in 9.176 million on Friday, … Read More »
Animal Planet’s ‘Whale Wars’ Renewed For Sixth Season: TCA
The announcement was made this morning during the Discovery Communications’ portion of the winter TCA Press Tour where Animal Planet held a panel for its new Whale Wars-type docu series, Battleground: Rhino Wars. In addition to solid ratings, Whale Wars, which has chronicled the efforts of marine conservation group Sea Shepherd against Japanese whalers, led to Japan suspending its controversial whaling operations. The series spawned a five-part spinoff, Whale Wars: Viking Shores, which aired earlier this year.
Diane Haithman in Pasadena contributed to this report.
OWN Greenlights 4 Unscripted Series, Sets Premiere Date For Tyler Perry Sitcoms: TCA
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network this morning announced four new unscripted series for 2013, including docu-series Raising Whitley, about comedienne Kym Whitley and her friends; Dogfellas, about a mobster-turned-dog groomer; and Blackboard Wars, about the efforts to improve a troubled New Orleans high school. OWN also has given a series order to Golden Sisters, the 
special/backdoor pilot about three frisky octogenarian sisters that aired last month. Additionally, the network has set May 29 as a premiere date for its first scripted series from Tyler Perry, drama The Haves and the Have Nots and half-hour comedy Love Thy Neighbor. “All of these new programs reflect the best of the human spirit. From the funny to the dramatic, we are always shooting for to-the-bone real,” said Sheri Salata, president, OWN. Returning with new episodes this year are OWN’s three Oprah series, Oprah’s Master Class, Oprah: Where Are They Now? and Oprah’s Next Chapter as well as Iyanla: Fix My Life. Upcoming guests for the network’s flagship Oprah’s Next Chapter include Drew Barrymore, LL Cool J and Whitney Houston’s mother Cissy Houston on the one year anniversary of the singer’s death. Here are descriptions of OWN’s new and returning series: Read More »
OSCARS: Nominations Voting Ends Even As Online Ballot Confusion Persists Among Some Academy Members
Here in the desert as the Palm Springs International Film Festival is ready for its annual gala 
tonight which will be honoring many Oscar hopefuls from Sally Field, Helen Mirren, Helen Hunt, Tom Hooper, Bradley Cooper, Naomi Watts and the cast of Argo among others, the real talk is about the process of actually trying to vote for those nominations. Despite Herculean efforts on the part of the Academy to make the move to online voting work smoothly for its members, not everything was going nearly as well as hoped, even as some high profile members tried to submit ballots in the final hours of voting Friday afternoon.
Related: PGA Awards’ Best Picture List Offers No Surprises But Could Have Strong Influence On Oscar
“I’m absolutely furious about this,” one industry mover and shaker phoned us to say shortly after 3 PM (with just two hours to go in the extended voting period) to ask what he could do after submitting his Academy-supplied password but being “locked out”. He did call the 24/7 Academy help support line but says he was put on hold for 20 minutes only to be told that his password couldn’t be reset after 12 noon and it was too late. “In none of the material I was sent about the online voting procedures did it ever say anything about a noon deadline to reset a password. And I’m not a newcomer when it comes to the internet. The person on the line told me ‘I … Read More »
‘AMC’, ‘OLTL’ Creator Agnes Nixon Gives Prospect Park Reboots Her Blessing
Agnes Nixon, creator of both All My Children and One Life To Live, chimed in tonight with her approval of Prospect Park‘s plans to resurrect the canceled ABC soaps. On her blog and on Facebook, Nixon wrote, “We of the One Life to Live and All My Children families are thrilled to bring our beloved viewers new, ongoing stories from Llanview and Pine Valley.” It’s believed to be the first time Nixon has said anything publicly about Prospect Park’s second attempt to bring the soaps back online. “I’m especially grateful to Prospect Park for deploying the power of you, our fans, to enable this exciting transition to dramatic production for the Internet. It’s a historic moment, comparable to how life was changed when television took over for radio.” Prospect Park has secured agreements with SAG-AFTRA and DGA but is expected to forgo an accord with the Writers Guild and use “financial core” writers who opt for reduced membership status. Details remain scarce but AMC alum Vincent Irizarry (Dr. David Hayward) has agreed to return as has Lindsay Hartley (who played Cara Martin). Nixon did not say whether she will play a part in the soaps’ resurrection.
Backhanded Compliment Of The Day: TCA
It came from Ving Rhames on the final question from the panel for his new series, TNT‘s medical drama from David E. Kelley and Sanjay Gupta Monday Mornings, in which he plays a trauma surgeon. The question, addressed to him and neurosurgeon/CNN medical correspondent Gupta, on whose book the show is based, was whether trauma surgeons are different from other types of surgeons. Rhames took a different direction in his answer, giving thanks for his role, which got a little awkward toward the end. “One of the things I really love about this show is I think we just happen to be surgeons, but in reality deals with the human condition, the human experience, and for myself as an African American actor, it’s so well written and well rounded. We don’t get to see these type of images often as African American people, so I thank David E. Kelley, the writers, Sanjay Gupta. And I also thank, and I mean this in a respectful way, TNT for doing something on a level a bit above some of the Tyler Perry shows (which air on TNT sibling TBS). Thank you.”
‘Life’s Too Short’ To End HBO Run With Special
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant‘s latest series, HBO/BBC comedy Life’s Too Short, will come back to HBO for a special, which will wrap the story. Gervais had been talking about doing a Life Is Too Short special since the summer when it became clear that there will be no second season of the mocumentary created by and starring Warwick Davis, Gervais and Merchant, which premiered on HBO last February and ran for seven episodes. Now HBO has committed to the special, which will air later this year. Merchant is already working on a new comedy series for HBO, Hello Ladies.
Fred Armisen On ‘SNL’ POTUS Transition: TCA
In November, the United States re-elected President Barack Obama, but months earlier, Saturday Night Live introduced its own new “president” when relative newcomer Jay Pharoah replaced Fred Armisen in regularly portraying Obama on the show during the campaign. After today’s TCA panel on IFC’s Portlandia, which stars Armisen, Deadline asked the actor how he has felt about this political transition. “It feels incredible, it makes me feel like I am part of something bigger,” Armisen said, sounding as dreamy and earnest as the eccentric characters of Portlandia. “It’s like SNL is its own living thing and we are just a part of that. Now we’ve both helped to paint this picture of the president. We’ve made some kind of art together.” Armisen said he will “never” portray Obama again on the show, but watching the younger actor in the role of POTUS “makes me feel very proud.”
Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Steven Soderbergh & Jerry Weintraub On HBO’s ‘Behind The Candelabra’: TCA
Diane Haithman is contributing to Deadline’s TCA coverage.
At today’s TCA panel on HBO’s Liberace drama Behind The Candelabra, the creative forces behind the project stressed that they are attempting to get at the humanity rather than just the camp-and-glam elements of the lives of Liberace (portrayed by Michael Douglas) and his younger live-in lover Scott Thorson (Matt Damon). The actors appeared on today’s panel with
director Steven Soderbergh and executive producer Jerry Weintraub.
Soderbergh said he was drawn to the source material, Thorson’s book Behind The Candelabra: My Life With Liberace, written with Alex Thorleifson. The story was adapted for TV by screenwriter Richard LaGravenese. In the book, Soderbergh said, “the conversations are the kind that every couple has. It’s an unusual setting, but we take the relationship seriously.” Read More »
Shane Smith Calls ‘Vice’ Style Of Journalism “Immersionism”: TCA
Ray Richmond is contributing to Deadline’s TCA coverage.
HBO isn’t in the habit of doing traditional newsmagazine shows, and its new magazine Vice (premiering April 5) is like no series of its ilk that mainstream TV has ever seen. It’s sort of Rolling Stone-meets-The-BBC-meets-Real Time With Bill 
Maher. And it’s certainly not coincidental that Maher is an exec producer on the globe-trotting newsmagazine fronted by host Shane Smith. Vice is also the name of the media company that produces the show that practices a New Age-style journalism that Smith called “Immersionism” during an afternoon panel at TCA. “We have local stringers, we dress the part (of the locals), and we try not to be intrusive,” Smith explained. “We also try to be smart about it. We aren’t action junkies. We just try to get a good story. Being able to have smaller crews helps.” Smith’s Vice partner and exec producer Eddy Moretti, who joined him on the panel, stressed that the show isn’t like a traditional news crew in any way. They will hang out with story subjects for days before even beginning to record, to cultivate trust. “Because we come as storytellers, rather than journalists, we’re often welcomed into these communities. It gives us an access that allows us to tell a rich human story.” Read More »
Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst’s Lawsuit Against DMV Gets Tentative Nod From Judge
Ashton Kutcher’s production company’s lawsuit against the California DMV for dropping out of a reality series moved one tentative step in the actor’s favor today. Judge Michael Johnson issued a tentative ruling Friday denying the state’s request to dismiss the Breach of Contract and Promissory Estoppel suit. Kutcher’s Katalyst Media and Soda and Pop Inc. filed the suit on June 19, 2012. The 
Los Angeles Superior Court judge also noted today that the contract between production companies Katalyst and Soda and Pop Inc. and the California DMV is enforceable, something the state has disagreed with. Katalyst is seeking $1.4 million in damages, claiming that it had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in pre-production for the proposed show. In June 2010, the Two and a Half Men star’s company and the DMV reached an agreement to work on a series featuring Motor Vehicle employees and patrons in various “humanizing and entertaining situations that arise on a daily basis” in DMV offices throughout California. In May 2011 that agreement was put into writing. However six weeks later the state agency “abruptly and without justifiable excuse, changed course,” according to the initial suit. Read More »
Searching For Roots In ‘Family Tree’: TCA
Diane Haithman is contributing to Deadline’s TCA coverage.
There are a lot of slashes in the titles of the guys in charge of HBO’s new series Family Tree, making its debut in the spring. Christopher Guest is writer/director/executive producer, and Jim Piddock is writer/creator/executive producer and also plays the role of Martin Pfister in the single-camera, documentary style show. (Executive producer Karen Murphy was not present).
Only actor Chris O’Dowd, who portrays Tom Chadwick, has no official title slash. But even his work
calls for an extra level of creativity, since the show’s structure will reflect the improvisational mockumentary elements of Guest’s movies. “It’s very freeing, but very pressured at the moment,” said O’Dowd.
Related: Before ‘Downton Abbey’ There Was ‘Parade’s End’: TCA
Dowd’s character, Tom, is a 30-year-old man who has recently lost his job and girlfriend, and goes on a quest for his family identity when he inherits a mysterious box of memorabilia from a great aunt he never met. That story, Guest said, is based on his own experience going through the inherited belongings of his father, who died 16 years ago. Read More »
ABC Family’s Mina Lefevre To Head Scripted Programming For MTV
EXCLUSIVE: I’ve learned that MTV‘s new president of programming Susanne Daniels has made her first major executive hire, tapping ABC Family’s VP Development and Programming Mina Lefevre as SVP and new head of scripted programming. The cable network’s current head of scripted, SVP Justin Levy, is expected to report to Lefevre. MTV had no comment. When Daniels was named president of programming of MTV in November, there was a lot of speculation whether she would bring in top executives from outside, especially people she had worked with at the WB or Lifetime. A day after Daniels’ announcement, MTV’s co-head of scripted programming, SVP Clay Spencer, was let go, leaving Levy as the solo head of scripted. Spencer had been brought in by Daniels’ predecessor David Janollari, while Levy is a homegrown MTV talent, having been at the cable network for over four years, steadily rising through the ranks. He championed the network’s breakout comedy Awkward and also has payed an integral part in the development and production of the other successful MTV series, Teen Wolf. He is now overseeing Hot Mess, the new pilot from Awkward creator/executive producer Lauren Iungerich.
Bringing in an executive from ABC Family signals a continuing focus on millennials for MTV, which has been struggling in the ratings as Jersey Shore lost its juggernaut status. At ABC Family, where Lefevre has been for 12 years, she has overseen all … Read More »
Deadline Big Media With David Lieberman, Episode 17
Here’s episode 17 of our audio podcast Deadline Big Media With David Lieberman. This week, Deadline Executive Editor Lieberman and host David Bloom discuss the impacts of an important tax provision for Hollywood passed as part of this week’s fiscal cliff bill; what happens with Al Jazeera’s purchase of Current TV, especially after Time-Warner Cable dropped the channel; and a look at some of the big trends at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show, which Lieberman will be covering and for which he’ll host a panel on streaming TV.
Deadline Big Media Episode 17 (MP3 format)
Deadline Big Media Episode 17 (MP4A format) Read More »
Before ‘Downton Abbey’ There Was ‘Parade’s End’, Director Says: TCA
Diane Haithman is contributing to Deadline’s TCA coverage.
After today’s TCA session on HBO’s miniseries Parade’s End, based on four World War I-era novels by Ford Madox Ford, director Susanna White told Deadline that PBS’ popular Downton Abbey, set in loosely the same era, was not an inspiration for her. “We were commissioned ahead of Downton,” said White of the five part mini, which is set to premiere February 26. 
“It’s obviously the same time period more or less, but ours is much less of an Upstairs Downstairs world. We are coming from the standpoint of being an adaptation of this series of novels. We’re coming from a slightly different place.” And what place is that? “I’d call it Downton Abbey meets The Wire,” the director quipped.
On the panel, White appeared with stars Rebecca Hall and Adelaide Clemens. Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrays Christopher Tietjens, appeared with writer Tom Stoppard via satellite. The actor, who appeared in the movie War Horse, is perhaps best known for the BBC’s popular series Sherlock. He called the chance to speak the words of the distinguished Stoppard, as well as those of Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat, “humbling, because they are far brighter than you could possibly be.” Read More »
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