"show" news and stories

All year long, there has been discussion about whether the TV advertising regulator, Ofcom, would institute a ban on junk food ads on programs that were targeted to kids. Recently, Ofcom said that they would be instituting guidelines for advertising, but that they would not restrict the commercials shown during prime time, a statement which prompted some to believe that the restrictions might not be too severe. Ofcom, however, has just published its guidelines and they call for a "total ban on junk food advertising around all children's programming, on all children's channels" and on any show that would specifically appeal, for any reason, to under 16-year-olds. Due to their decision to include kids up to the age of 16, some awards shows and music channels will be affected.

Ofcom has given marketing companies until March 2007 to comply with the new regulations and to change their ad campaigns, but TV channels that are kids-only networks have until the end of 2008 to comply, so as not to cause such a significant loss of revenue.

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Comparisons have never really been made between Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray, since the two women really do very different things. Rachael is about casual, easy and the quick-fix. Martha is about doing things from scratch and trying to make things perfect, putting as much attention and detail into them as possible. Now that they seem to be working in the same field with their TV talk shows, it was only a matter of time before there was a bit of conflict between the two domestic (or semi domestic, in Rachael's case) divas. Page Six had a little story about how the producers of RR's show bumped up a prerecorded episode featuring Barry Manilow to air at the exact same time as an episode of Martha's show that also feature the singer. Martha's show, however, was airing live. She said that although she had never met Rachael and was sure she was a nice person, it really wasn't fair to the artist to play the two at the same time. "Barry is on two shows at once. He's live with us, but it's really not fair to the artist because these performers deserve to reach as big of an audience as possible. But anyway, we have him here. Live."

Martha, of course, had a good point - but does it seem like she might be just a bit testy about RR's show? With Martha's commitment to class, it seems unlikely that the pair will end up in a daytime TV catfight, but it wouldn't be surprising to see a few more barbs thrown from either side as they solidify their viewership.

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Today's New York Times features a review of Alton Brown's new road food series Feasting on Asphalt, which premiers tomorrow on the Food Network. NYT television critic Virginia Heffernan has apparently grown tired of food shows that exalt gritty American fare and she sees Brown's new series as the latest example. The piece is actually one of the more negative reviews of Brown that I can recall reading. By the end, Heffernan indirectly critiques AB for trying to "capitalize on the down-home food craze and create a franchise." I've yet to see the show, so I can't offer my own opinion of its content, but I don't think Heffernan's criticism is totally unfounded. Still, it could probably be applied to any number of contemporary cookbook authors or food celebrities. Yes, there are plenty of road food shows, likely inspired by writers like the Sterns or Calvin Trillin, and those shows are there because viewers have shown a growing interest in regional food. Is there something wrong with that?

Do Paul McCartney fans sit around chatting about how Paul should have his own cooking show? Someone must have told him that that is what people want to see, because Paul is shown here, starring in his own cooking clip, preparing mashed potatoes. He even seems to have a professional set and a crew.  Paul keeps reiterating that he has no idea what he's doing as he peels, boils and mashes the potatoes with lots of margarine and some milk. He also demonstrates his "technique" for chopping onions - which should not be used unless you want to risk chopping off your own fingers - that are added as a "special" ingredient.

Paul opens by asking "How exciting is this on the internet?"

The answer is not very, Paul. But you might actually do well if the Food Network runs another season of The Next Food Network Star.

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Is anyone a fan of Dave Lieberman? The Food Network is counting on what they believe is his appeal with younger audiences to make his newest ventures, Dave Does, a success. Dave Does is a web-based series that is launching on the Food Network's website in August. This is the second internet-only show for Lieberman, who starred in a series titled Eat This a few months ago. Unlike Dave Does, the previous show only ran for a few episodes, though Food Network reps say it was very popular. The new show will deal with the latest food trends, gadgets and "insider" restaurant locations in cities including Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Portland in each of its thirteen, 5-minute episodes.

Lieberman is entertaining in small doses, so the "webisode" format works well for him. The unfortunate thin about the show is that it is not a cooking show. That makes this just another example of the Food Network moving further away from people who like to cook. How many shows can they have that feature "insider restaurant locations"?

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