Upfront Week 2012: NBC Introduces a Monkey, Fox Brings Out Britney Spears - Ed Martin

NBC never fails to disappoint No matter its corporate owners or top executives this broadcaster more than any other always finds a way to stir up upfront week beyond simply introducing the new series it has lined up for the following season Remember when it pulled out of upfront week altogether Or when it pushed back in with its infamous quotinfrontquot partyIn the network39s grand return to Radio City Music Hall after two years in an unremarkable Hilton Hotel ballroom NBC Broadcasting chairman Ted Harbert got the crowd going by suggesting that it39s time for the industry to shift focus from C3 to C7 ratings which would give NBC and the other broadcasters a distinct advantage in future negotiations with advertisers He further stirred the pot with a brief attack on Auto Hop the technology now employed by the Dish Network that allows its subscribers to skip commercials entirely with the push of a button on their remotes quotIt39s an insult to our joint investment in programmingquot he told the crowd He also called for stronger crossplatform measurement something network executives have been calling for or at least suggesting for many yearsHarbert certainly grabbed the attention of the audience though not necessarily in the entertaining way a network typically does when it39s trying to pump up enthusiasm for its new shows That task fell initially at least to a sizzle reel put together by NBC stars Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon who really should have been on stage to introduce it in which they discovered an envelope of quotsupersecret screenersquot of shows on NBC39s fall schedule clips from which made clear that NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt was going to turn all of NBC39s series into musicals from quotGrimmquot to quotLaw ampamp Order SVUquot to quotMeet the Pressquot quotPressquot host David Gregory looked to be having the time of his life in his clip lying back on a desk and singing while a bevy of beautiful women seductively moved around himA performance by Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty of quotLet Me Be Your Starquot the signature song from their series quotSmashquot followed filling the cavernous Music Hall with the kind of networkrelevant energy and excitement that is crucial to the success of these events As the song neared its conclusion the four chairs from quotThe Voicequot were brought on stage the first three twirling around to reveal judges Adam Levine CeeLo Green and Christina Aguilera with Greenblatt in Blake Shelton39s seat It would have been more impactful if Levine Green and Aguilera sang but it fell to quotVoicequot season two champ Jermaine Paul to represent for the show later in the presentation with a performance of quotI Believe I Can FlyquotPaul is a fine singer but a slow if stirring song was not what NBC needed by the time he took the stage as the energy in the room was beginning to fade That had a lot to do with the somewhat methodical and not at all spontaneous sounding program intros by Greenblatt and NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke and by the strange structure of those introductions After the presentation of clips from each new show cast members from those programs seated in the audience were shown on the giant HD screen above the stage but they weren39t introduced they weren39t asked to stand up and many of them were in shadowsAs for the shows themselves only an unwise observer would make profound judgments based on brief clips on a mammoth screen But the new NBC talent that made the greatest impact in Radio City and I39m told outside on the red carpet was an adorable monkey named Crystal that is featured in the new comedy quotAnimal Practicequot about a New York City veterinarian The clips didn39t look particularly promising but scenestealer Crystal is a frontrunner for breakout star of the season at least on NBCI39ll say this The monkey at NBC which never left its seat seemed to impress more people than did Britney Spears at Fox She was the big star at the latter39s presentation yesterday afternoon pertly positioned on stage along with Demi Lovato midway through the presentation as Simon Cowell formally announced that the two singers were joining the judges39 table on quotThe X Factorquot Neither performer had very much to say which had many in the audience wondering what they would bring to the troubled talent show in terms of articulate criticism or constructive support At the afterparty there was much speculation among journalists not all of it favorable about how they will fare on the show But everyone agreed that they will attract millions of new viewers at least initiallyFox39s presentation once again at the Beacon Theater was the usual fastpaced and informative affair It began with a very funny video in which characters from quotNew Girlquot were shown interviewing characters from other Fox shows as potential new roommates Then came the usual introduction of dozens of stars from the network39s new and returning seriesIn a welcome surprise the always professional Ryan Seacrest was on hand as host which likely makes him the first person in history to host two upfront events for different networks in one season He emceed the E event just two weeks ago Once again Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly took advertisers and journalists through the details of the network39s fall and midseason schedules in fine fashion keeping the enthusiasm level highThe one odd thing about Fox39s presentation was the absence of a performance by any of the fine singers from the network39s music driven shows Many cast members from quotGleequot were there but they didn39t sing a note The audience would have loved that There weren39t any present or past quotAmerican Idolquot contestants in the house Any combination of this year39s outstanding top seven would have been welcome Not even quotX Factorquot winner Melanie Amaro or any singers from that show39s top four Instead Mary J Blige was brought out on stage for a quick number at presentation39s end that felt strangely out of place given the perpetual reinforcement of the Fox brand and the highlighting of its talent that remained strong throughout the show Indeed NBC offered more home grown musical talent earlier in the day Who saw that comingFinally amp8211 and keeping in mind that clips don39t necessarily mean anything it looks as though Fox may have the mosttalked about new series of the 201213 season in its very creepy midseason thriller quotThe Followingquot in which Kevin Bacon will make his series debut as a FBI profiler on the hunt for a serial killer who is organizing a cult of murderous psychopaths It certainly won39t be feel good TV but it is already an attentiongrabber

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Upfront Week 2012: NBC Introduces a Monkey, Fox Brings Out Britney Spears - Ed Martin

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