Discovery Communications' board of directors held its quarterly meeting today but anyone looking for news about Oprah Winfrey and her cable network was sorely disappointed.
While some of the cable programming giants top executives made glowing presentations to the board, neither Winfrey nor her svengali Tom Freston were anywhere to be seen around Discovery's headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. Not even Christina Norman, chief executive of the Oprah Winfrey Network, made the cross-country trek for the meeting. That seems slightly unusual given all the attention around the network.Â
Apparently there is little to update on the OWN, hence a song-and-dance from Winfrey, Norman or Freston wasn't seen as necessary. At this point, though, isn't the fact that there is little to update about the channel worth an update? The place has had a revolving door of executives and has been vague on its programming plans. Discovery has already pushed the date of the launch back several times. (Before some Discovery or OWN rep picks up the phone to scream,Webster's defines several as "an indefinite but small number.")
For now, OWN is not saying when it will launch, but already it seemsvery unlikely that it'll happen in the first six months of next year.There have been many executive shuffles and very little programming inthe works so more time will probably be needed to get it off theground. And then there are those who think ultimately that this channel willnever fly.
Much of the channel's fate hinges on Winfrey, who is keeping quiet. Her move last week to dispatch one of her top executives -- Lisa Erspamer -- to Los Angeles to work on OWN set off speculation that Winfrey herself was thinking of moving her daytime talk show to OWN. Winfrey's current daytime TV contract is up in 2011.
A Discovery spokeswoman declined to comment on the board meeting.
-- Joe Flint
Photo: Oprah Winfrey. Credit: Brian Killian / Getty Images
Perfect pitch? Not quite, but there's much to enjoy as 'Glee' returns
You have to appreciate the diabolical cleverness of the Fox network.
Its flagship program, "American Idol," has been softening in the ratings for the past few years. It's still the Death Star of television, but "Idol" is no longer getting the kind of ratings that cause executives at rival networks to spend their days under their desks, weeping over the latest Nielsen numbers.
But now Fox has "Glee" (8 p.m. Central Wednesday, WFLD-Ch. 32; three stars) which may not have an "Idol"-sized audience but is an unqualified hit, especially among the 18-34 demographics that advertisers (and television networks) prize. And "Glee," which follows the progress of a rag-tag high school show choir, is a program that has learned the lessons of "Idol" well.
Though it's a scripted show, "Glee" does what "Idol" does at its best: It creates moments of pure enjoyment. When a performer bristling with potential sings a good song really well, the result is exhilarating, uncomplicated pleasure.
Actually, "Glee" may go "Idol" one better: "Glee's" singing-and-dancing production numbers are often fun and creative, unlike "Idol's" clunky group sing-alongs, which are painful to watch. Someone on the "Idol" staff needs to pick the brains of "Glee's" choreographers and directors.
Creating "Glee"-ful moments sounds simple, but it's not. It takes exceptional performers, and in Lea Michele (who plays the pampered diva Rachel Berry), Chris Colfer (who plays the fantastically acerbic Kurt Hummel) and Matthew Morrison (who plays Will Schuester, the teacher who leads the club), "Glee" has three standouts. All three excel not just as singers but as actors, and even if the story lines they're given are already getting repetitive, they make every scene they're in worth watching.
Cory Monteith, who plays well-intentioned jock Finn Hudson, isn't the most gifted singer in the cast, but he hold his own and his deft portrayal of Finn's frequent befuddlement is a pleasure in itself. Other cast members have varying levels of talent and charisma, but the show's go-to characters are so enjoyable -- as was recent guest star Kristin Chenowith -- that lesser performances fade a bit by comparison.
Still, the first volume of the "Glee" soundtrack, which came out last week, is a big hit in the Watcher household. Any TV show soundtrack that induces people of all ages to dance around the kitchen is doing something right.
Fun as it can be, "Glee" is not perfect, though Wednesday's episode is a case study of what "Glee" does right. There are provocative and thoughtfully handled stories involving Artie (Kevin McHale), a character who is in a wheelchair, and Kurt, who has recently come out as gay to his father. Within the context of satire/dramedy with musical numbers, the show explores the question of difference -- when differences should get special treatment and when they should not.
What Wednesday's episode, "Wheels," has that other episodes of "Glee" have lacked is coherence and narrative drive. Unlike "Idol," which merely has to provide a couple of memorable performances and at least one zingy Simon Cowell quote, "Glee" is supposed to supply a story. Though the humor and music often take center stage, "Glee" is better when it has something to say, not just something to sing.
But some weeks, "Glee" has opted to haphazardly throw together a few intentionally soapy story lines (a teen pregnancy, the migraine-inducing Terri Schuester's fake pregnancy, Will's chemistry-free flirtation with a fussy fellow teacher, someone or other quitting the singing group for the millionth time) and hope for the best. The first season of the show is only one-third over, so it's a bit troubling that some stories seem so tired and lazy already. And too often when a wobbly, slapdash episode threatens to fall apart -- hey, how about a song?
Having said all that, I must acknowledge the show's addictive elements. Dolton native Jane Lynch is giving one of the best performances on television as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, a driven woman who would be better suited to a gig as the dictator of small, fearful country. I must also note Iqbal Theba, who plays Principal Figgins with a perfectly calibrated mixture of world-weary ennui and canny opportunism. Any episode that has a lot of Sue, Figgins and Kurt and no Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig), as is the case with "Wheels," is a win in my book.
When "Glee" comes up with a well-proportioned mixture of drama and comedy and makes the arch, soapy stuff relatively painless (or better yet, gets creative with stereotypical soap storytelling), it's one of the most enjoyable shows on TV. When it doesn't, well, there are always Sue's one-liners.
And if nothing else, there are those songs. Get out your hankies, because what these performers do with "Defying Gravity" on Wednesday will have you sniffling and smiling at the same time ("Glee's" version of the song is here).
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Celebrity radio presenter Sanaipei Tande has left Kiss FM. The Kwaheri singer left the station on Wednesday, last week.
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Lee Blessing's 'A Body of Water' needs some tuning but it's still a sly mind game about the nature of identity.
Excerpt: 'The Department of Mad Scientists'
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