TVSquad

I don't know about you, but I stopped really caring about the Summer Olympics when the Dream Team fell apart. It is long, often boring and flooded with too much commentary. SHUT UP! I just want to watch the athletes do their thing!

Well it turns out I must be the only one complaining, because NBC plans on covering 3,600 hours of Summer Games across multiple networks. That is literally 150 days of continuous coverage. Five months of non-stop Olympic action. Almost half a freakin' year of Olympics? That may be a bit too much.

Can we save the Earth through music?

Of course not, don't be stupid. However, that doesn't mean you can't catch the twenty-four hour Live Earth global concert series on TV starting this Saturday, July 7.

Here's a list of channels that will be covering the event:

• NBC: 8:00 p.m to 11:00
• BRAVO: 9:00 a.m. on July 7 through 2:30 a.m. on July 8
• UNI HD: 4:00 a.m. on July 7 through 2:00 a.m. on July 8
• SUNDANCE: 4:00 a.m. on July 7 through 2:00 a.m. on July 8
• MSNBC: intermittent coverage throughout
• CNBC: 7:00 p.m. on July 7 through 2:00 a.m. on July 8
• TELEMUNDO: 7:00 p.m. through 8:00 p.m.
• MUN2: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Apparently Showtime has figured out from its boxing coverage that people not only want to see men punching each other, they'd also like to see some kicking, too. Starting in 2007, the cable network will join Pro Elite to showcase mixed martial arts events (judo, jiu-jitsu, karate, wrestling and kickboxing). The new venture, an attempt to cash in on the popularity of other "men beating the living crap out of each other" events like the Ultimate Fighting Championship, will be produced by Douglas DeLuca (The Man Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Mole). I've never been one who enjoys these kind of sports, though I did have a friend who participated in UFC and once won a match by sitting on a man's chest and punching him repeatedly in the face. I guess if you have a talent you might as well use it. The first mixed martial arts competition will air on Showtime February 10th, 2007, with new events airing through 2009.

We've been excited about the New York Television Festival since the second edition was announced earlier this year. Think of it as a Sundance for television, where budding TV moguls submit their pilots, the best are selected for the festival, and awards are given. Of course, in between, the organizers try to cram as many celebrity-related events and panels in as possible.

Because this is such an interesting concept, we're going to have extensive coverage of the festivities. Pilot screeners in each of the five categories (Comedy, Drama, Animation, Educational and Reality) will be reviewed by various TV Squadders; the review posts will go up starting on Thursday. And I'll be a roving reporter, trying to attend some of the bigger premieres, panel discussions, and other events, bringing you pictures and maybe even a quote or two from the stars who are attending parties for Kidnapped, The Knights of Prosperity, and Standoff. So, look for our daily posts from the festival and for the reviews of the pilots. I'm looking forward to this...

AOL's gossip site TMZ reported that MSNBC was planning to get rid of all of its live daytime programming and replace them with pre-taped shows. Also, President Rick Kaplan would be given the boot. There was really no evidence given for this huge change, other than the fact that Fox News and CNN tend to garner heavier ratings with their daytime shows. I guess that's why they call it "gossip." After the report was filed, MSNBC contacted TMZ to let them know that their live daytime coverage would not be going anywhere, and that Kaplan would still remain. The network called the accusations "ridiculous and wrong on every level."

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