Word: abc
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Packers at Steelers, ABC...
Whether or not a new television show survives is usually a fairly trivial matter, but in the case of Sports Night the stakes are higher. This series, which airs Tuesdays at 9:30 E.T. on ABC, represents the best opportunity in a long time for network comedy to evolve into something sharper and more interesting. If it fails--a highly possible outcome, given its mediocre ratings--then the networks will be all the more wary of trying something novel. On the other hand, if the show succeeds, it just might revitalize a very tired form...
Sports Night is about a nightly cable show of that name, modeled on ESPN's SportsCenter, on which two anchors cover dozens of athletic events while trading jokes back and forth. (Like ABC, ESPN is owned by Disney, and while Sports Night was developed independently of SportsCenter, there are plans to cross-promote them.) Peter Krause and Josh Charles play the anchors Casey and Dan, Felicity Huffman is the producer Dana, and Robert Guillaume is the show's executive producer Isaac. Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter for A Few Good Men and The American President, created Sports Night and is among...
...rumored to be among the show's fans. The network has ordered more episodes and acknowledges that it has not promoted the show properly; plans are under way to better convey its tone. "Today a show needs to be distinctive to break out," says Jamie Tarses, president of ABC Entertainment. Here's hoping Sports Night can break out, for if it fails, it could give distinctiveness a bad name, and that's just what TV doesn't need...
...That year, a coalition of 21 herbal-product makers devised a plan to bring more kava to American shores and shelves. Using aggressive ad campaigns, they quickly raised the profile of the root. When word began circulating that kava might have the power to calm--and when ABC ran a story to that effect--the herb found a ready market. Says Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical Council: "There are an increasing number of people interested in the idea that natural is better...