TOM TV Says Goodbye to Two Favs

As many of you, we've been out of touch over the Holidays - but now that we're back, we've got USA Network's "The 4400" and "Dead Zone" Top of Mind.  

After the dramatic escalation of 4400's Season 4 and the Zone's major bounce-back last season, news is that what has aired thus far is all we'll ever get. We're definitely sad to see these sci-fi romps go - but I guess we've seen the last of these favs from the Patriot. *Sigh*

Naked Tuesday Two-fer: An Evil Plot and a Game-changing Block

Couple of hot stories you should check out for Naked Tuesday...

HD-DVD/Blue-ray Wars

First, you gotta see what director Michael Bay thinks about the HD DVD/Blu-ray format war. Anyone who's tried it knows the amazing depth and superior quality of Blue-ray (Sha!). But until now, no one could figure out where the market confusion was coming from. Turns out it's all part of a fiendish plot from the evil empire, and we've got Michael Bay to thank for the scoop! ;)

Visit Crunch Gear for the full story.

A Game-changing Programming Block

Next, NBC has changed the game with a first of its kind deal to buy a two-hour — or perhaps even three-hour — block of prime-time programming from an outside producer.

This summer we introduced you to Thom Beers, the creator of "Ice Road Truckers" (my son's favorite show) and hilarious speaker at this year's LA TV Fest. Now Beers will produce at least two new hours of back-to-back programming, with a minimum of 10 nights - over 30 hours of programs. The key benefit is financial - these shows are incredibly cheap to produce, and this marks the first time a major network has commissioned outside producers to fill primetime programming. Check out the New York Times to read the full article.