Word: network
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...last week the network chiefs, like guilty spouses, denounced reality TV as a cheap tart even as the scent of its perfume still clung to their collars. And they pledged their renewed fidelity--We mean it this time, honey!--to "original, quality scripted entertainment...
...returning-show news, The West Wing will be back, but creator Aaron Sorkin is to be replaced by E.R.'s John Wells. Fox's 24 is planning one more lousy day for Jack Bauer, and ABC's The Practice narrowly avoided being disbarred. And the networks aren't totally disavowing reality shows, just those with bad ratings. Fox will bring back Joe Millionaire, even though its original the-prince-is-a-pauper surprise is well known; the network claims to have a "secret plan" for a new twist. Survivor will be back with a tournament-of-champions edition...
...shows may turn out to be awful, but at least they're attempting more original premises than those of the other major networks. And perhaps it's not a coincidence that the network with the most provocative scripted series ideas is the network that gave us Man vs. Beast. The cheesiest reality shows and the most ambitious sitcoms and dramas have one thing in common: they try to startle us with something we haven't seen before. But startling people doesn't always sell detergent. In the TV business, that's the only reality that matters...
Terrorism can be a brutally competitive business. Consider the radical Islamists of Hamas, who find themselves under pressure at home from Hizballah--a lethally efficient militia based in Lebanon and labeled a terrorist group by the U.S. Exploiting its burgeoning popularity in Palestine, Hizballah has cultivated an extensive network of operatives in the West Bank and Gaza since the intifadeh started 32 months ago. This makes Hamas--which has both its political turf and a reputation as Israel's chief nemesis to protect--rather jittery...
...counter move, Hamas is expanding its operations out of the narrow Israeli theater. Jordanian security officials tell TIME that two Hamas agents recently traveled to Afghanistan to recruit the remnants of al-Qaeda's network to join its operations in the Arab world. The Jordanians say this spells danger for many countries in the Middle East, especially since a growing number of Hamas leaders now argue that the best way to strike Israel is to attack U.S. targets in Arab countries. A choice venue for such attacks, they say, would be Iraq, where Hamas would find local groups willing...