TVSquad

Fox really only has a handful of new pilots to premiere next season because it's holding on to mega ratings-getters like American Idol, House, Prison Break, and 24... to name a few. It's replacing last season's stinkers such as Standoff and Justice.

At its upfronts presentation last month, the net announced two new reality shows, three new comedies and five new dramas. Of those, we have seen all the comedies and dramas except a drama called Nashville, which Fox has not yet released for preview.

This year, FOX is hoping for a stronger fall season with a shorter baseball hiatus. Instead of 26 game nights, FOX is expecting to air only 14 games leading up to and including the World Series. Once again, FOX's January schedule has FOX poised for a win in ratings with non-stop 24 and renewal of American Idol. One schedule item worth noting is The Sarah Connor Chronicles, based on the Terminator movies. Fox chose to hold it until mid-season because they want a strong female audience, which is something they get when American Idol returns.

In: 'Til Death, House, Bones, The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, American Dad, America's Most Wanted, Cops, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, American Idol, 24, Prison Break,

New: K-Ville, New Amsterdam, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Back to You, Return of Jezebel James, Rules for Starting Over, Kitchen Nightmares, Canterbury's Law, Nashville

Out: The Winner, Standoff, Drive, The War at Home, The O.C., Justice, Happy Hour, The Rich List, Vanished, The Wedding Bells, The Loop

Moving: 'Til Death, Bones (spring)

A while back I called Anderson Cooper "The Four Million Dollar Man." Looks like we're going to have to call him something else.

CNN has just given the anchor of Anderson Cooper 360 a big increase in pay. Cooper will be paid $50 million over the next five years. Yes, that's 5-0. That comes out to be $10 million a year, but it's up to you whether you want to call Coop "The 50 Million Dollar Man" or "The 10 Million Dollar Man."

So readers, is he worth it? It's really hard to judge whether one person is "worth" the amount of money they are given, whether it's Michael Jordan, Julia Roberts, or Anderson Cooper. But Cooper does indeed seem to be the future of CNN, the "face" of the network, if you will, and it looks like they want to lock him in for a long time to come.

Cooper hosts his nightly show at 10pm and also contributes to 60 Minutes over on CBS.

Director Spike Lee has won a George Polk award for his documentary about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. Called When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, the doc chronicled the natural disaster and the disastrous way the federal government responded to the humanitarian crisis. The awards are considered among the highest honors in American journalism, along with the Peabody.

Lee's documentary was four hours long and initially premiered to a New Orleans crowd before airing on HBO last August. The program was filled with news photos and video footage, and all sorts of interviews from celebrities and regular folk who recount their experience in the aftermath of Katrina. Ultimately, the federal government and the Army Corps of Engineers are blamed for the sub-par levees and the response to the disaster.

Fox gave the green light to a pilot about cops living and working in post-Katrina New Orleans. It's one of four Katrina-related projects that were being pitched to networks for the next television season, but it's the only one that is moving forward. K-Ville is an hour-long drama that tells the stories of the police officers who stayed behind when the hurricane hit.

Other New Orleans-themed shows include two more cop shows based in the city that ABC passed on, and one called NoLa that NBC passed on even with the possibility that Spike Lee would direct the pilot. It's surprising, really, that K-Ville made the cut because the crisis in New Orleans continues. If nothing else, maybe it will renew the public's interest in that very damaged city.

[Via TV Tattle]

One Night Only: The Series, a new reality show on BET, debuts tonight at 7:30pm. The new series follows a group of students from McDonogh 35 High School, the oldest African-American high school in New Orleans, as they compete for roles not in Dreamgirls, but in One Night Only: Live on the Stage, a multi-media tribute to Dreamgirls. Taped in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the series will not only focus on the upcoming musical, but on the students' efforts to rebuild their homes and communities. Watching high school kids try out for a musical doesn't really interest me, but the mix of trying to be "normal" kids while dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history might make this one worth checking out.

The series will also feature guest appearances by Jennifer Hudson, Blair Underwood, Dwayne Martin, Tisha Campbell Martin, George Faison and Damone Roberts.

CNN's Anderson Cooper has just signed a new contract with the cable network, and this one is estimated to be worth $4 million dollars a year, a raise from the $2 million dollars a year he is getting under his current contract.

The Broadcasting & Cable article linked above also says that because Cooper is no longer available, producers of The Early Show are going to have to look elsewhere for a new host for the morning show. Though I never heard definitive word that Cooper was in line for the gig, just that the show was undergoing major changes.

Cooper hosts the nightly news show Anderson Cooper 360 and has started to also contribute to CBS' 60 Minutes. The new contract is a multi-year deal.

So readers...is he worth it?

[via TV Newser]

If you didn't see Studio 60's Christmas episode, then you should. Not only was it one of the show's best, but it featured a musical performance by New Orleans musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina that's sure to put a lump in your throat. The musicians were led by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews in an original arrangement of "O Holy Night." You hear carols a thousand times, and after awhile, they lose the power to move you. This performance brought all that power back. You can now download the track as a free MP3 from NBC's Studio 60 website or iTunes.

Last week's Comic Relief telethon raised $4 million for victims of Hurricane Katrina. It aired simultaneously on TBS, HBO and AOL. Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal headlined the Comic Relief telecasts of the 1980s to raise money and awareness about homelessness. The original Comic Relief stage shows raised about $50 million.

Did anybody watch Comic Relief on November 18th? I caught a little bit of it but had to turn it off because A) Robin Williams is no longer funny, and B) Dane Cook isn't funny either. I was actually more interested in the on-location stories about the current situation in New Orleans than the performances by a long list of guest comedians.

Mos Def: not exactly a bad ass rapper. Sure... he was arrested in New York City, but it's not for your usual rapper garbage like gun possession (Diddy) or lying about a murder (Lil' Kim). Nope, NYC police cuffed Mos Def for an impromptu performance he gave outside the Radio City Music Hall last Thursday before the MTV VMAs. Apparently he didn't have a permit for the sound system. The cops interrupted a song he was performing about Hurricane Katrina on the back of a flatbed truck outside the awards show. Police kept Mos Def overnight and now he'll have to appear in court.

This week is the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting The Gulf Coast, and former Night Court star Harry Anderson has announced that he and his wife, like many people, are leaving the city.

Anderson hasn't done much television since Dave's World left the air in the late 90s. Instead, he opened a club in New Orleans, where he has been performing a one man show and showcasing local talent. They also owned a home in the city, which had a magic shop on the first floor. But now Anderson and his wife are leaving the city, and in this interesting New York Times piece (you don't hear much about Anderson these days, so any story that pops up immediately grabs my attention), Anderson talks about what Katrina has done to the people of New Orleans, why he's leaving, getting mugged, and where he might move to.

Formative filmmaker Spike Lee has signed a development deal with NBC. Talks between the network and Lee reportedly began in May, after he directed the pilot for the CBS legal drama, Shark (starring James Woods). No word yet on exactly what the show will be about.

Knowing that Spike Lee is creating a television drama is very exciting. I'm not sure how his work will translate onto television, but you can bet that whatever he comes up with will be thoughtful and poignant. At least, that's what I'm hoping. In the meantime, Lee is premiering a four-hour documentary on HBO on August 16th about the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.

Comic Relief launched 20 years ago to raise awareness and funds for the homeless. It went off the air eight years ago but, according to The Hollywood Reporter, it is making a comeback this year to benefit the still-suffering victims of Hurricane Katrina. Traditional Comic Relief headliners Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal plan to lighten the mood during a benefit performance that will broadcast simultaneously on TBS, HBO and AOL on November 18th. Previous performances raised $50 million for the homeless cause. This time, the benefactors of the fundraising will be children and animals.

I have been one of the very few Anderson Cooper supporters around here. While most see him as the bad guy who took over for Aaron Brown, or as "that guy from The Mole," I see him as a solid, veteran reporter who has done a lot and actually earned his job at CNN.

In the new Vanity Fair, there's an excerpt from Cooper's upcoming memoir/book of reportage, Dispatches From The Edge (the Vanity Fair web site has a preview of the article, but you'll have to buy the print edition for the actual article). Cooper mixes the pain and horror of what he saw in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina with the personal story about how the suicide of his older brother Carter affected him and his family. It's quite a read.

For its next season, Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown gets a new co-host and a new location. In support of the people affected by Hurricane Katrina, the poker contest will film at Harrah's Casino in New Orleans. The building was damaged in the hurricane and just reopened in February. All the celebrities involved with be playing for Hurricane Katrina-related charities. Also, Phil Gordon is out. His replacement is poker champ Phil Hellmuth. Don't worry, Dave Foley is still the other co-host. No word yet on which celebs will participate, but I'd love it if they invite Bonnie Hunt back. She was hilarious.