I’ve listened to this song on my iPhone about one hundred times this month.

“O Holy Night” is my absolute favorite Christmas song, and the ill-fated Studio 60 was one of my favorite shows last year, so finding a clip featuring that song on that show is perfection.

If you don’t remember the episode, a lot of musicians from the band were calling in sick in an effort for Katrina-displaced New Orleans musicians to find work, and get a union card (an idea based on the real Tipitina’s Foundation). So Matt and Danny had a whole group of Big Easy musicians on to play, resulting in one of the most beautiful scenes of the series. It can be found below.

Merry Christmas, dear readers.

I wish that ‘Sudio 60 on the Sunset Strip’ - The Complete Series would take up a whole shelf in my DVD collection, rather than a little two-inch portion, but, alas, it wasn’t in the cards.

On October 16, Warner Home Video will release the full first and only season of ‘Studio 60′.  The 6-disc box set will retail for $59.98, and will contain a new behind-the-scenes featurette and commentary tracks with creator Aaron Sorkin and producer Thomas Schlamme.

From the release:

What goes on behind the scenes of a nationwide late-night comedy sketch show? Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing, answers that question with a must-see show within a show filled with engaging characters, ear-grabbing dialogue and a Hollywood hive of insider buzz.

Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford portray the likable hotshots brought in to revive NBS-TV’s sagging flagship comedy series and Amanda Peet plays their savvy boss in episodes exploring the lives and loves of - and the make-or-break creative pressures on - the show’s staff. Panic. Chaos. Fear. Sleep deprivation. Just make sure it’s funny by Friday. Because that’s when a nation tunes in to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

The final episode of ‘Studio 60′, entitled “What Kind Of Day Has It Been”, will air tomorrow night on NBC.

(Source: TV Shows on DVD)

2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee - ABC - 8/7c

Come on…who doesn’t enjoy watching kids sweat it out while trying to spell “appoggiatura” or “Ursprache”?

Pirate Master - CBS - 8/7c

From the creator of Survivor:

Sixteen modern-day pirates live as buccaneers and search for hidden treasure.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - NBC - 10/9c

Jordan experiences an emergency with her pregnancy during the live show. Meanwhile, Tom faces an even larger emergency and Matt’s pill use gets discovered.

*sigh*  It’s the first day of the post-finale blues.  A couple of bright spots shine through tonight. 

On The Lot - FOX - 9:30/8:30c

I am kicking myself…for some reason, I thought that the premiere was tonight, so I didn’t record the episode on Tuesday night.  My most anticipated reality show (there’s a phrase I never expected to say), and I missed it.  Tonight, the competitors continue their Hollywood Boot Camp.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - The Disaster Show - NBC - 10/9c

NBC says:

The show goes haywire when the propmasters and cue-card workers stage a last-minute wildcat strike.

Here’s something I’ve been waiting to say for three months now…new ‘Studio 60′ tonight!  It’s bittersweet, though, as we only have a limited number of episodes before it’s off the air for good.

In a brief but to the point article, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that the sets from ‘Studio 60′ are being dismantled “as we speak”.

The network won’t officially announce the show’s fate until the upfront next week, but this essentially seals the deal.  What a shame, for one of the smartest new shows last season.

The six remaining unaired episode will run beginning May 24 at 10/9c.

It’s been kind of a slow news day, but hopefully this will brighten your weekend.

Having been yanked due to less than stellar ratings, Zap2It reports today that the remaining six unaired episodes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip will make a return.  From the article:

The Aaron Sorkin drama, which arrived last fall as the season’s most hyped show and vanished from NBC’s schedule amidst sinking ratings, will move to Thursday nights at 10 p.m. starting on May 24, at least according to the network’s website for the show.

Not-so-coincidentally, that Thursday is the day after the end of the crucial May sweeps period and it comes a week after the upfront presentation at which NBC will reveal to advertisers whether or not “Studio 60″ has a future on the network next season.

I’ve made no secret that I think that Studio 60 was one of the best new shows of the season, but it just never managed to find a foothold.  I’m hoping beyond hope that the NBC upfront will have Studio 60 down for next season, and this will be an effort to gain some more viewers.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t look too promising, though.

TV Squad posted a great analysis of why NBC picked up 30 Rock for a second season, but has held out on Studio 60.  From the article:

…it can’t be because 30 Rock got better ratings than Studio 60, because Studio 60 got better ratings. It can’t be because 30 Rock got a higher rating in the all-important 18 to 49 demo, because Studio 60 had higher ratings there, too.

Read the full article here.

From Kristin at eOnline!:

Reliable sources close to NBC tell me the ratings-challenged (but fan-adored) Studio 60 has received a “back nine” order, meaning the series will complete a full 22 episodes for its freshman season.

It’s up to you.  Now, go, and tell your friends to watch.

In a post on Monday, Scott posted a list of shows that might be in trouble this season.  Read the rest of this entry »