Channel Surfing
by Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times
March 27, 2007

 

WPHT 1210-AM morning host Michael Smerconish will make his first appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO Friday at 11 p.m.  Smerconish has been a regular on the cable news circuit for a couple of years.  

 

Former Channel 10 reporter turned television producer Andrew Glassman is behind the upcoming “National Bingo Night” set to air on ABC in May. Glassman also produced the NBC shows “Average Joe” and “Three Wishes.”

 

News industry insiders say the leading in-house contenders for the NBC10 weekend evening news opening left vacant since Lauren Cohn took a job in Chicago are Ted Greenberg, Deanna Durante, Kristen Welker, and Dawn Timmeney.   

 

Former WB17 reporter Tasha Jamerson has landed on Fox29 as a freelancer.

 

Congratulations to former NBC10 reporter and anchor Karen Hepp and her husband Brian Sullivan who became first time parents to a son, Quinn Joseph Sullivan.  Hepp is an anchor for the Fox affiliate in New York City.

 

Congrats to 6ABC personalities Cecily Tynan and Karen Rogers who are both expecting babies in the fall.  Tynan and her husband Greg have a 14-month-old son named Luke.  And this will be the third child for Rogers and her husband Kevin who have two daughters.

 

Former Fox29 reporter Nick Smith who had an unpleasant parting of the ways with Fox a few months ago has re-invented himself as the new host of “American Inventor” which airs on ABC this summer.  The Simon Cowell-produced show will also feature Philly’s Pat Croce and George Foreman as judges.

 

At least this week, the “American Idol” contestants may actually recognize their mentor, as Gwen Stefani appears for “Pop Music” week. The last two shows were ruined because the contestants picked songs that nobody knew.  Lakisha and Melinda need to stop acting like old ladies. Maybe “crying girl” who was hysterical over “Sanjay-UGH” last week will get a spin-off from Fox. The producers need to give the contestants around three songs to choose from – and they must be songs that people know!  I am still steamed that nobody sang “Do You Know Where You Are Going To,” “Touch Me in the Morning,” “Upside Down” or “Reflections” from Diana Ross week.

 

Doylestown native Pink’s song “Who Knew” is being used for the new ABC series “October Road.”

 

On Monday morning’s show, Q-102 personality Chris Booker revealed the reason he missed a couple of days of work last week was because of a broken engagement to model Caron Bernstein. The couple was engaged since the holidays in December.

 

Television Field of 64

We are down to our “Elite Eight” in our “Television Field of 64.”  Here are our winners.

Drama Bracket

(1) Grey’s Anatomy over (3) 24
(2) Heroes over (11) Cold Case

Drama Finals:
(1) Grey’s Anatomy vs. (2) Heroes

 

Comedy Bracket
(1) The Office over (4) 30 Rock
(3) Desperate Housewives over (2) Two and a Half Men

Comedy Finals:
(1) The Office vs. (3) Desperate Housewives

Reality Bracket
(1) American Idol over (5) The Amazing Race
(2) Dancing with the Stars over (6) Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition

Reality Finals:
(1) American Idol vs. (2) Dancing with the Stars

Talk Show Bracket
(9) Ellen over (5) Jimmy Kimmel
(10) The Daily Show over (6) Conan O’Brien

Talk Show Finals:
(9) Ellen vs. (10) The Daily Show

 

Please email your winners to lauranachman@verizon.net.