California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that will provide recourse for victims of nonconsensual digital sexually explicit videos, also known as “deepfakes.” Many of the victims of these new face-swapping technologies have been actors whose faces have been digitally superimposed on the bodies of porn stars.
SAG-aftra, which has been at the forefront of battling these technologies, praised the governor for signing the bill – Ab 602. “We are absolutely thrilled that Gov. Newsom stood by the victims, most of whom are women, of non-consensual pornography by signing Ab 602 into law,” said SAG-aftra president Gabrielle Carteris. “I want to thank the governor; the bill’s authors, Assemblymember Marc Berman and Sen. Connie Leyva; and all the California lawmakers who unanimously voted for this legislation. Ab 602 is a victory for all Californians. Deepfake technology can be weaponized against any person. Every person deserves the basic human right to live free from image-based sexual abuse.
SAG-aftra, which has been at the forefront of battling these technologies, praised the governor for signing the bill – Ab 602. “We are absolutely thrilled that Gov. Newsom stood by the victims, most of whom are women, of non-consensual pornography by signing Ab 602 into law,” said SAG-aftra president Gabrielle Carteris. “I want to thank the governor; the bill’s authors, Assemblymember Marc Berman and Sen. Connie Leyva; and all the California lawmakers who unanimously voted for this legislation. Ab 602 is a victory for all Californians. Deepfake technology can be weaponized against any person. Every person deserves the basic human right to live free from image-based sexual abuse.
- 10/4/2019
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Tom Bergeron wants the results show back on “Dancing with the Stars” — and so do you. In a recent poll, 72% of our readers echoed Bergeron’s wish for ABC to revive the results show in a 30-minute format. Another 18% wants the full one-hour results show back, which brings it to a 90% demand for a results show in general. Give the people what they want, ABC!
That near consensus is not shocking at all in the aftermath of Bobby Bones‘ controversial win in the derided 27th season last fall that saw poor dancers (read: Bones and Grocery Store Joe) outlast great dancers on the strength of large fan bases. The lack of a results show means that performance scores are added to the votes from the previous week on the show, so the total is not actually reflective of how viewers felt about a particular dance that week. If you have a spectacular showstopper this week,...
That near consensus is not shocking at all in the aftermath of Bobby Bones‘ controversial win in the derided 27th season last fall that saw poor dancers (read: Bones and Grocery Store Joe) outlast great dancers on the strength of large fan bases. The lack of a results show means that performance scores are added to the votes from the previous week on the show, so the total is not actually reflective of how viewers felt about a particular dance that week. If you have a spectacular showstopper this week,...
- 4/12/2019
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
A tip of the hat to veteran reporter, columnist, and TV historian Marc Berman who is launching a new venture with his TV news website called Programming Insider.
Early in his career, Berman worked in programming and research at NBC, QVC, Paramount, and Viacom. From 1999-2011, Berman was the Senior Editor for Mediaweek and wrote The Programming Insider column and hosted a daily podcast.Read More…...
Early in his career, Berman worked in programming and research at NBC, QVC, Paramount, and Viacom. From 1999-2011, Berman was the Senior Editor for Mediaweek and wrote The Programming Insider column and hosted a daily podcast.Read More…...
- 1/4/2016
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
New York -- During NBC's slow slide to near-irrelevancy in prime time over the past decade, a succession of entertainment executives sat in boardrooms plotting comeback moves that didn't work.
It's still early, but NBC seems finally to have hit upon a plan that is moving things in the right direction. New entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt's baby steps strategy of using the successful competition "The Voice" as its centerpiece has helped NBC stand as the only one of the four big broadcasters to have a larger prime-time audience than it had last fall.
In the 18-to-49-year-old demographic that NBC targets, the network has made a startling move from fourth place to first, winning the first four weeks of the season for the first time since 2002. Among all viewers, it ranks third behind CBS and ABC.
"They needed a hit show to ignite the network," said Marc Berman, an analyst with TV Media Insight,...
It's still early, but NBC seems finally to have hit upon a plan that is moving things in the right direction. New entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt's baby steps strategy of using the successful competition "The Voice" as its centerpiece has helped NBC stand as the only one of the four big broadcasters to have a larger prime-time audience than it had last fall.
In the 18-to-49-year-old demographic that NBC targets, the network has made a startling move from fourth place to first, winning the first four weeks of the season for the first time since 2002. Among all viewers, it ranks third behind CBS and ABC.
"They needed a hit show to ignite the network," said Marc Berman, an analyst with TV Media Insight,...
- 10/29/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
HBO’s The Newsroom is still making headlines, this Sunday hitting a three-week (and thus “all-time”) high in total audience.
The Aaron Sorkin series’ latest tally of 2.2 million total viewers marks a jump of 32 percent from the Sunday prior, and inched past the premiere audience of 2.1 mil.
A few other ratings nuggets from here and there….
* On the topic of Sunday-night cable dramas, TNT’s Falling Skies this week saw an uptick in total audience (from 3.39 million viewers to 3.64) while holding steady at a 1.2 demo rating. A Season 3 pick-up is rumored to be imminent.
Ratings | The Closer Slips Heading Into the Finish,...
The Aaron Sorkin series’ latest tally of 2.2 million total viewers marks a jump of 32 percent from the Sunday prior, and inched past the premiere audience of 2.1 mil.
A few other ratings nuggets from here and there….
* On the topic of Sunday-night cable dramas, TNT’s Falling Skies this week saw an uptick in total audience (from 3.39 million viewers to 3.64) while holding steady at a 1.2 demo rating. A Season 3 pick-up is rumored to be imminent.
Ratings | The Closer Slips Heading Into the Finish,...
- 7/10/2012
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
"I think it works emotionally, even if it's not breaking any new ground." Marc Berman runs a blog, Travis Yanan Watches TV, a place where he often gives an early review of pilot scripts. He recently got a hold of the pilot script for Arrow, CW's next foray into the DC Comic universe. The story was pitched by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim. The writing duo that brought us that steaming pile of poo, Green Lantern. The story was adapted into a screenplay by Andrew Kreisberg, and Marc. Oliver Queen is a spoiled rich kid who got lost at sea with his massively wealthy CEO father, their head of security, and the girl Oliver was banging. Five years later, Oliver is rescued from an island in the South China Sea. Somehow, he survived (none of the others on the boat did). And he's been changed. He's strong, wily, and is...
- 2/14/2012
- ComicBookMovie.com
Chicago – NBC used the Super Bowl to launch their highly-promoted Super Monday and the gamble paid off as the troubled network won the night, beating a very competitive slate of programming on CBS and ABC. “The Voice” is a ratings beast and “Smash” was heavily sampled. Of course, whether or not “Smash” is a hit will be determined the further it gets away from the Super Bowl hype.
Smash
Photo credit: NBC
Over 37 million people tuned into the season premiere of “The Voice” on Sunday night after the Super Bowl (the highest post-game total for a show since 2006) and a large number of them stuck around for Monday’s timeslot premiere as the show with Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton notched a night-winning 10.6 rating/16 share in overnight numbers. A year ago? “Chuck” and “The Cape” were averaging about a 3.0. It proves that you can never count out a network,...
Smash
Photo credit: NBC
Over 37 million people tuned into the season premiere of “The Voice” on Sunday night after the Super Bowl (the highest post-game total for a show since 2006) and a large number of them stuck around for Monday’s timeslot premiere as the show with Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton notched a night-winning 10.6 rating/16 share in overnight numbers. A year ago? “Chuck” and “The Cape” were averaging about a 3.0. It proves that you can never count out a network,...
- 2/7/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
A big TV reunion in New Jersey, The Munsters reboot gets a director, some strange reports regarding the new Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol movie, and a new Star Trek documentary. All this, Pan Am, and some TV history...
The Waltons
Our friend Marc Berman notes that there will be a special 40th anniversary screening of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story on Friday night in New Jersey. The movie that spawned The Waltons will be shown and will be followed by a special Q&A panel discussion with Richard Thomas, Mary McDonough, Judy Norton, Kami Cotler, Jon Walmsley, Eric Scott, David Harper, and David Huddleston. Some of those who didn't appear in the movie but were in the series will also take part, including Michael Learned, Lynn Hamilton, Leslie Winston, Hal Williams, Ellen Geer, and Radames Pera. Tickets are $20 each. Hopefully, someone will film the event for...
The Waltons
Our friend Marc Berman notes that there will be a special 40th anniversary screening of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story on Friday night in New Jersey. The movie that spawned The Waltons will be shown and will be followed by a special Q&A panel discussion with Richard Thomas, Mary McDonough, Judy Norton, Kami Cotler, Jon Walmsley, Eric Scott, David Harper, and David Huddleston. Some of those who didn't appear in the movie but were in the series will also take part, including Michael Learned, Lynn Hamilton, Leslie Winston, Hal Williams, Ellen Geer, and Radames Pera. Tickets are $20 each. Hopefully, someone will film the event for...
- 11/30/2011
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Fringe‘s best episode of Season 4 to date sadly drew the Fox series’ lowest rating to date, dropping 15 percent week-to-week to a 1.1 — and on 11/11/11 (as one Tweeter noted).
Fringe had matched its previous all-time low, a 1.2 rating, with this season’s second episode, but notched increases here and there since.
Fringe‘s Joshua Jackson Reveals Peter’s Wrong World Dilemma: ‘He’s Got to Get Out of Dodge!’
Among the night’s other genre fare, NBC’s struggling Chuck (3.2 mil/0.9) at long last stabilized, Marc Berman’s TV Media Insights reports, while its freshman lead-out Grimm (5.2 mil/1.5) dropped 13 and 17 percent,...
Fringe had matched its previous all-time low, a 1.2 rating, with this season’s second episode, but notched increases here and there since.
Fringe‘s Joshua Jackson Reveals Peter’s Wrong World Dilemma: ‘He’s Got to Get Out of Dodge!’
Among the night’s other genre fare, NBC’s struggling Chuck (3.2 mil/0.9) at long last stabilized, Marc Berman’s TV Media Insights reports, while its freshman lead-out Grimm (5.2 mil/1.5) dropped 13 and 17 percent,...
- 11/12/2011
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
As compared to rural dwellers, urbanites are more stressed and more likely to develop schizophrenia. Does living in a city hurt your brain?
Humans are an urban species. At least 3.5 billion of us, more than 50% of the global population, lives in cities. That will hit 70% by 2050. Yet our early evolution never prepared us for living cheek-to-jowl in vast concrete settlements. This is precisely the way most of us will spend the 21st century, so the effect this has on our brains is important.
A study published in the journal Nature puts some hard data behind the question by testing how city living affects the way we cope with stress. Researchers scanned the brains of 32 healthy German volunteers from both rural areas and cities during a series of daunting math problems reinforced with negative comments. As it turns out, their brains behaved quite differently. Researchers observed higher activity in the amygdala--the...
Humans are an urban species. At least 3.5 billion of us, more than 50% of the global population, lives in cities. That will hit 70% by 2050. Yet our early evolution never prepared us for living cheek-to-jowl in vast concrete settlements. This is precisely the way most of us will spend the 21st century, so the effect this has on our brains is important.
A study published in the journal Nature puts some hard data behind the question by testing how city living affects the way we cope with stress. Researchers scanned the brains of 32 healthy German volunteers from both rural areas and cities during a series of daunting math problems reinforced with negative comments. As it turns out, their brains behaved quite differently. Researchers observed higher activity in the amygdala--the...
- 8/3/2011
- by Michael J. Coren
- Fast Company
Filed under: American Idol, TV News
The ratings are in for the 'American Idol' season 10 premiere and while the two-hour season opener is down 11 percent from last year,the show still ruled Tuesday night.
'American Idolp' received a Nielsen overnight rating of 16.4/24 share (which now includes DVR playback up through 3 Am), according to MediaWeek's Marc Berman.
The dip is no big surprise as 'Idol' ratings have been on the decline for some time now, but Fox has got to be pleased to see fans tune in without the promise of Simon Cowell's usual early audition bloodbath.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments...
The ratings are in for the 'American Idol' season 10 premiere and while the two-hour season opener is down 11 percent from last year,the show still ruled Tuesday night.
'American Idolp' received a Nielsen overnight rating of 16.4/24 share (which now includes DVR playback up through 3 Am), according to MediaWeek's Marc Berman.
The dip is no big surprise as 'Idol' ratings have been on the decline for some time now, but Fox has got to be pleased to see fans tune in without the promise of Simon Cowell's usual early audition bloodbath.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments...
- 1/20/2011
- by Hilary Rothing
- Aol TV.
American viewers will not know who Cheryl Cole is if she joins the panel of the Us X Factor, one TV analyst has argued. Piers Morgan has claimed that Cole will reprise her UK role and join Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell on the reality talent show when it is ported to the Us next year. Marc Berman of Mediaweek told Heat: "People will certainly be wondering who [Cheryl] is. "Nicole's very popular here. She did extremely well on Dancing With The Stars (more)...
- 10/5/2010
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Wednesday's edition of Page Six reports that the ratings for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon are down 20 percent from May of 2009 and that NBC executives are "on edge" over the fall. Gasp! Says Mediaweek's Marc Berman -- who actually goes by the late, great Milton Berle's old nickname "Mr. Television" -- "When they took out Jay and put in Conan, they lost a lot of the viewers who would usually have stayed on to watch Fallon. The lead-in is pivotal . . . When you mess around with viewers, sometimes it's hard to get them back. TV is a very fickle business . . . If there is a lesson to be learned from this debacle, it is that if it's not broken, don't fix it." Good point, Mr. TV! And good thing Fallon isn't broken.
- 6/9/2010
- Movieline - TVline
Ratings Coverage: American Idol had another very strong night ratings-wise. It reached 23.5 million viewers, up from the performance show one year ago, which reached 22.8 million, according to Mediaweek's Marc Berman. That's about a 15% growth. Week to week the show has been up and down but there's still a possibility the show will increase its total ratings over last season. The only other instances I can remember of a veteran series growing like that is the venerable 60 Minutes, which fell to #7 before leaping back to #1 in the 1991-1992 season and Law & Order, which enjoyed a long slow climb to its peak of #5 in 2001, 11 seasons into its run. Show Coverage: The women took to the stage and after a very strong Crystal Bowersox, so many of the women crashed and burned that the...
- 3/4/2010
- by Michael Giltz
- Huffington Post
To renew or not to renew -- that's the big mid season question. Shows that haven't captured the sweet-spot demos craved by advertisers-- or haven't drawn respectable viewership -- are said to be "on the bubble." In other words, in danger of being canceled. "These shows are in the middle, and networks have to decide if it's worth bringing them back, if they'll do better next season," says industry analyst Marc Berman of Mediaweek. Here's our look at the most notable shows on the bubble this winter. ABC * "FlashForward": Hailed as a new "Lost," it...
- 2/15/2010
- by By MAXINE SHEN
- NYPost.com
Howard Stern's potential role as judge on American Idol has been called into question by a media insider. The DJ, who has spent 35 years in the industry, was recently tipped as the producers' first choice to replace Simon Cowell on the show's panel. Cowell announced last month his intention to quit the hit reality show in order to concentrate on his American version of The X Factor, which is to air this year on Fox. However, senior television editor Marc Berman claims that the move is "not without its risks", and could "cheapen the brand", also questioning how much Stern knows about music. He explained to Us Weekly: "It’s an enormous gamble. (more)...
- 2/6/2010
- by By Paul Millar
- Digital Spy
Howard Stern's potential role as judge on American Idol has been called into question by a media insider. The DJ, who has spent 35 years in the industry, was recently tipped as the producers' first choice to replace Simon Cowell on the show's panel. Cowell announced last month his intention to quit the hit reality show in order to concentrate on his American version of The X Factor, which is to air this year on Fox. However, senior television editor Marc Berman claims that the move is "not without its risks", and could "cheapen the brand", also questioning how much Stern knows about music. He explained to Us Weekly: "It’s an enormous gamble. (more)...
- 2/6/2010
- by By Paul Millar
- Digital Spy
Ratings Update: I thought Tuesday might have been a fluke, so I held off on trumpeting it. But it happened again Wednesday. Idol scored 26.1 million viewers on Tuesday and 26.7 million viewers on Wednesday. That's a massive increase of 33% and 21% respectively over the same nights last year. As Marc Berman of Mediaweek points out, this is remarkable for a veteran series. And Idol is the #1 show in the country. To spike in the ratings so dramatically nine years into its run is jaw-dropping. It's only one week, but amazing nonetheless. If it keeps up, it'll be simply astonishing. The last time a veteran series well into its run increased its total so much was probably Law & Order. But that show enjoyed a slow and steady rise to the top, debuting in 1990, becoming a Top...
- 1/21/2010
- by Michael Giltz
- Huffington Post
The Jay Leno show at 10 Pm on NBC has been an interesting ride. The comic recently lamented he missed his original late night spot, and now media number crunchers have sounded the "Fail" alarms for a show that has booked a wide variety of interesting gueats. The earlier timeslot for Leno is historically a berth for drama. All this comes as .The Jay Leno Show. - just two months into a two-year deal - is being heralded by industry insiders as a total ratings boondoggle, thanks to the timing of it, not the host or his talent. MSNBC quoted Marc Berman.s Mediaweek column, .The Programming Insider,. which labeled the show as Doa: .It.s an enormous flop,. said...
- 11/10/2009
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
We've assembled a batch of top-notch pundits to predict who'll win the Emmy Awards when bestowed this Sunday night (CBS, 8 p.m. Pdt/ Edt): Michael Ausiello (Entertainment Weekly), Marc Berman (MediaWeek), Chris "Boomer" Beachum (The Envelope, AwardsHeaven.net), Hal Boedeker (Orlando Sentinel), Lane Brown (Vulture, New York Magazine), Maggie Furlong (AOL), Joseph Kapsch (Zap2It.com), John Kubicek (BuddyTV), Robert "Rob L" Licuria (The Envelope, AwardsHeaven.net), Matt Mitovich (freelance entertainment journalist — Matt scored highest among our Emmy prophets last year), Rick Porter (Zap2It.com), Ray Richmond (just some guy), Richard Rushfield (Gawker) and David Zurawik (Baltimore Sun). Also check out the in-depth category-per-category analysis by Beachum and Licuria in these races: best comedy series, lead comedy actor, lead comedy actress, supporting comedy actor, supporting comedy actress, guest comedy actor, guest comedy actress, comedy writing, comedy directing, best lead drama actor, lead drama actress, lead actor in movie...
- 9/17/2009
- by tomoneil
- Gold Derby
This just in from Marc Berman’S Programming Insider More Amazing Race: CBS has renewed Emmy winning reality/competition The Amazing Race for a 15th cycle, which is expected to air next fall. Casting is currently underway. Good News for American Idol: Breaking up the judges in pairs of two and having only two comment per performance has been officially nixed [...]...
- 4/17/2009
- by admin
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
In a blessedly brief Idol (anything less than two hours feels like a speeded-up pleasure), the Top 9 Idol contestants sang any song that was available for purchase on iTunes, surely the weakest theme ever. And as Kara Dio Guardi sparred with the audience, delivered some bizarre lines (Studio 57?) and seemed to reach out to the other judges without success, it's gonna be the audition rounds for season 9 before we'll know whether she's coming back or not. According to Marc Berman of Mediaweek, the show scored a 13.3 overnight rating, followed by the dead-on-arrival Osbournes variety show, which lost 63% of its Idol lead-in. The show began with the contestants walking out to center stage with Adam Lambert discretely guiding Scott MacIntyre. Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Idol finalists have scored 29 Top 40 hits. It wasn't clear to me...
- 4/1/2009
- by Michael Giltz
- Huffington Post
This just in from Marc Berman'S Programming Insider: TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest More Rita Rocks: Lifetime Television has renewed freshman sitcom Rita Rocks, its first original prime-time comedy in 10 years, for a second season. Twenty episodes have been ordered. ABC Cancels Life on Mars: ABC has announced that critically acclaimed, but minimally seen drama Life on Mars, which [...]...
- 3/3/2009
- by admin
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
This just in from Marc Berman'S Programming Insider (Bad news, indeed, for ABC's Cupid): TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest More Big Love: HBO has renewed drama Big Love for a fourth season, with production slated to begin later this year for a 2010 premiere. The number of new episodes has not been confirmed, however. But the first three episodes [...]...
- 2/6/2009
- by admin
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
With Thanks To Marc Berman'S Programming Insider: TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest Lauren Graham to Headline ABC Sitcom: Former Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham will star in an untitled ABC comedy about a self-help guru who teaches women how to live a stress-free life but does not follow her own advice. This will actually be Graham's fifth sitcom, with [...]...
- 12/12/2008
- by admin
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
This Just In From Marc Berman'S Programming Insider: TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest Telco Announces Two New First-Run Weeklies: Telco Productions, the home of Animal Rescue, Dog Tales and Missing, will add two half-hours -- Dragonfly TV and Swap TV -- to its growing inventory of first-run syndicated weeklies. Dragonfly TV is a science themed series that engages teens [...]...
- 12/11/2008
- by admin
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
This just in from Marc Berman'S Programming Insider: TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest Freshman Series Update: Here is an updated status report of the freshman 2008 entries: ABC Life on Mars: moving to Wednesday at 10 p.m. out of Lost in January Opportunity Knocks: pulled from the schedule and not expected back CBS The Ex List: canceled; Canadian drama Flashpoint will fill the Friday [...]...
- 12/5/2008
- by admin
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
This Just In From Marc Berman'S 'Programming Insider' Newsletter: TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest Numb3rs and Criminal Minds Sold to Weekend Syndication: CBS Television Distribution crime dramas Criminal Minds and Numb3rs are heading to off-network weekend syndication in fall 2010. Criminal Minds has racked up clearances in 95 percent of the country, while Numb3rs is right behind at 90 [...]...
- 11/19/2008
- by admin
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
This Just In From Marc Berman'S Daily Newsletter: TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest More Gary Unmarried: CBS has picked-up freshman sitcom Gary Unmarried for the remainder of the season, with an order for seven additional episodes (plus two more scripts). If the scripts make it to episode order, that will make a full 22. USA's Monk Wraps Up: Long-running detective [...]...
- 11/17/2008
- by admin
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Cowell Moves To Dating Game Show
Infamous American Idol judge Simon Cowell launches his new dating game show this week - but critics claim poor timing may cause the show to bomb. Cupid premieres on American network CBS this Wednesday in the midst of a summer of reality TV, and the danger for Cowell is that viewers bored of such shows won't give his program a chance - but the British pop impresario is confident his show will be a success. He says, "Regardless of the competition or the timing, if something is fundamentally good, it will work. If something is fundamentally bad, it won't. I don't think you could ever invent the perfect time slot for any show." But television analyst Marc Berman believes Cupid will flop, adding, "I do not think it's going to be a hit show. There's just too many shows like this. There's nothing different about this show, there's no novelty to it."...
- 7/8/2003
- WENN
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