NBC at TCA: Bob Greenblatt Repeats Tweets; Sarah Palin Stuns the Critics - Ed Martin

NBC39s day at the Summer 2012 Television Critics Association Tour may have been a relatively unremarkable one but it ended with a special guest at the network39s poolside party that had critics and journalists tumbling over each other just to get within arm39s reach amp8211 or to snap a fast picture with their cell phonesYes Crystal the Monkey amp8211 the captivating star of the network39s upcoming sitcom quotAnimal Practicequot amp8211 had the press swarming around her at the Beverly Hilton pool patiently waiting for her to climb on their heads and be photographed thereby providing them with exciting new pictures for their Facebook and Twitter profilesMeanwhile across the pool critics were swarming around another prominent party guest amp8211 former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who was so glam she could have been mistaken for a cast member from the quotReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsquot Palin had tagged along with her husband Todd who was on hand to help promote the new reality competition series quotStars Earn Stripesquot in which celebrity contestants are challenged to execute missions inspired by real military exercises Todd Palin is one of the contestants in the series39 first seasonThere were plenty of stars from NBC39s other upcoming fall series at the party and several from summer shows on various NBCU cable networks including half the contestants from Oxygen39s quotThe Glee Projectquot But Crystal the Monkey and Sarah Palin were definitely the star attractions I actually think Crystal drew the larger crowd perhaps because she provided so priceless a photo opportunityIt was an exciting and surprisingly upbeat ending to a day that had been problematic at worst and rather ordinary at best It began with a decidedly dull executive session with NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke and Alternative and Late Night Programming President NBC Entertainment Paul Telegdy that provided the press with absolutely nothing interesting to write aboutPlainly Greenblatt and his publicity team understood that their day was in trouble and that they had to do something to salvage it because one hour later just before the beginning of the first program panel of the day amp8211 for the sitcom quotGuys with Kidsquot amp8211 Greenblatt returned to the stage with a spontaneous announcementquotI wanted to give you the Twitter reportquot he said immediately snapping critics out of their collective stupor quotWe are trending which I39m thrilled Thank you very much for that There are a couple of fun ones I wanted to readquotThe first one is 39NBC39s Bob Greenblatt on great spring NBC hasn39t finished better than 4th since 20045 We39re 3 We39re 339quotIn the deadly dull executive panel Greenblatt had noted that NBC due in no small amount to spring successes quotSmashquot and quotThe Voicequot was No 3 for the 201112 season in adults 1849 and reminded the critics that the network hadn39t finished better than fourth place in that demo since the 20032004 seasonquotHere39s another onequot Greenblatt continued quot39NBC we39re proud to be 3 and we have a monkey39quotThat one was a reference to the amazing Crystal Greenblatt joked that that it quotcould be the next onair promo you seequotThe next tweet was a real killer quot39NBC39s Press Tour this year feels like that year you went to the local Holiday Inn for vacation because your dad lost his job39quotI am canceling the Holiday Inn reservations I have at the Olympicsquot Greenblatt laughedThen came the last tweet which Greenblatt described as quota fun onequot before he read itquot39NBC has the 1 program on TV in the 1849 demographic and a bunch of rusty tin cans that it can39t even get a goat to eat39quotI39m not sure I quite understand it but I think we have the next showrunner for 39Community39quot Greenblatt chuckled This brought a huge blast of goodnatured booing from the approximately 250 critics and bloggers in the room who together comprise much of the audience for the ratingschallenged quotCommunityquotUnfortunately those tweets and Greenblatt39s delivery proved to be a good deal more entertaining than most of the new shows NBC will premiere in the fall In fact that39s true of most of the new shows that all of the networks will premiere in the fallRegardless Greenblatt39s Twitter fun instantly changed the tone of the room at least for the rest of the morning Jimmy Fallon appeared from New York via satellite during the panel for quotGuys with Kidsquot for which he serves as an executive producer and in an inspired touch his head appeared on a small screen positioned on stage next to cast members from the show rather than on the giant screens in front of the room on which are displayed most satellite interviews during TCA panelsA panel later in the morning for quotAnimal Practicequot was similarly lively and entertaining helped considerably by charming new cast member JoAnna Garcia Swisher and a surprise latesession appearance by Crystal She rode onto the stage on a toy ambulance handed Jennifer Salke an envelope with a card inside that had quotlast questionquot written on it and then rode off waving to the audience as she wentquotGuys with Kidsquot and quotAnimal Practicequot may have benefited from Greenblatt39s Twitter fun but there was nothing that could be done to save the panel that ran between them for the new drama quotChicago Firequot about firemen in the Windy City because there is zero interest in this showNBC39s afternoon panels included sessions for the sciencefiction drama quotRevolutionquot which seemed to generate as much interest and enthusiasm as the one for quotChicago Firequot and the comedies quotThe New Normalquot from Ryan Murphy and quotGo Onquot starring Matthew Perry The comedies fared considerably better mainly because of the strong appeal of their casts though neither came off as a slamdunkThe closing panel for quotStars Earn Stripesquot was arguably the strongest session of the day After the Palins worked the party quotStripesquot became the most talked about show of the day as well

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NBC at TCA: Bob Greenblatt Repeats Tweets; Sarah Palin Stuns the Critics - Ed Martin

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