Government Grants for All

Make A Great Hobby With Gold and Silver Coin Collection (Alisha North)

Collecting gold and silver coins of rarity is an age-old hobby, to which thousands resorted to with delight. In fact, even during the ages of kings, there had been people who collected rare gold and silver coins realizing that the worth of such possessions will increase eventually.
Artipot: Finance > Wealth Building Articles

Tags: Alisha, Coin, Collection, Gold, Great, Hobby, North, Silver

Women In Trucking welcomes Bendix as new Gold Level Partner

Women In Trucking welcomes Bendix as new Gold Level Partner

Andreea Raber, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, LLC

Plover, WI (PRWEB) October 30, 2011

The Women In Trucking (WIT) Association grows with the addition of a new Gold Level partner. Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, LLC, has joined Frito-Lay NA and Walmart as top sponsors of the nonprofit organization.

“As an association, we are dependent upon our members to grow and to expand our influence,” said Ellen Voie, President/CEO of the organization. “With the support of our Gold Level partners we are able to add more programs and activities that provide value to our members and help us make the trucking industry a better environment for women at all levels.”

Andreea Raaber, Bendix’s Vice President for Business Development will serve on the board of directors. Raaber was one of the finalists for the Women In Trucking Association’s “Influential Woman of the Year” award sponsored by Navistar, Inc. “From driving the big rigs to driving the decisions that help shape our industry today and tomorrow, women hold an ever-increasing role in the trucking industry,” said Raaber. “Bendix is very proud to offer its corporate support to the Women in Trucking Association to continue the mission to encourage the employment of women in our industry and promote their accomplishments. We believe in the power, the potential, and the promise that the Women In Trucking organization can bring to our industry.”

Women In Trucking Association has experienced considerable growth in its four-year existence. The mission of the nonprofit organization is to encourage women to consider careers in the trucking industry, address obstacles that might keep women from succeeding and to celebrate the success of its members.

Accomplishments include the development of an anti-harassment employment guide prepared by J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. for carrier members. The association has been successful in working with travel plazas to better accommodate female drivers, and hosts an annual “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel” to honor female professional drivers.

Future goals for the association include a toll free crisis line, scholarships for members, addressing diversity vendor needs for shippers, and a recruiting ad campaign in addition to continuing to improve the work environment for all women in the trucking industry.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group, develops and supplies leading-edge active safety technologies, energy management solutions, air brake charging, and control systems and components under the Bendix brand name for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors, trailers, buses, and other commercial vehicles throughout North America. An industry pioneer, employing more than 2,200 people, Bendix is driven to deliver solutions for improved vehicle performance, safety, and overall operating cost. For more information, call 800-247-2725 or visit http://www.bendix.com.

Women In Trucking was established in 2007 to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry. Membership is not limited to women, as 16 percent of its members are men who support the mission. For more information visit http://www.WomenInTrucking.org or call 888-464-9482.

Ellen Voie CAE, President/CEO

Women In Trucking, Inc.

P O Box 400 Plover, WI 54467-0400

Ellen(at)WomenInTrucking(dot)org

###

Attachments

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Tags: Bendix, Gold, Level, Partner, Trucking, Welcomes, Women

Sell Your Gold And Jewelry In Spring Houston And Pasadena (Ashok Patidar)

Online gold buyers allow all kind of gold jewelry no affair what state that it is in. They are concerned in the melt price of the gold, and the fine ones present top dollar if you want to sell your gold Houston jewelry.
Artipot: Finance > Wealth Building Articles

Tags: Ashok, Gold, Houston, Jewelry, Pasadena, Patidar, Sell, Spring

America’s Tv Genius Strikes Gold Again

Something strange is happening on America’s TV screens. In a medium often derided as Hollywood’s less talented little brother, mainstream US TV has suddenly been swamped by an unprecedented wave of critically acclaimed dramas.

TV is now attracting Hollywood stars and directors to produce edgy and sophisticated programmes that used to be the preserve of the movie studios, to the extent that the Emmys may soon start to rival the Oscars as the visual medium’s greatest prize.

The networks are busy unveiling their autumn line-ups of new shows and the dominant themes are unmistakable: complex plots, intense characterisation and sophisticated dialogue. The developments have left critics both delighted and stunned. ‘How did the wasteland get so beautiful?’ asked Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

One reason is New York-born Aaron Sorkin, the man behind the influential political drama The West Wing and whose new programme, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, is many critics’ top pick of the flood of new shows. Studio 60, which will hit British screens next year, has drawn rave reviews, with its intense portrayal of life behind the scenes of a top TV comedy show.

‘It is the best new show of the season,’ said John Rash, communications professor at the University of Minnesota and author of the influential Rash Report survey of new American TV. ‘By excoriating its own media form, it actually shows how great it can be’.

Studio 60 stars former Friends star Matthew Perry and Hollywood actress Amanda Peet, which gives it the same sort of A-list cast as The West Wing. It is also a clear sibling of Sorkin’s previous hit, starring Bradley Whitford, who played Josh in The West Wing.

Sorkin’s writing in the new show – so far – has been top-notch and is clearly intended to do for the TV industry what The West Wing did for politics: open up a strange world for all the viewers to explore. ‘I think Studio 60 is a classic example of that kind of show,’ said Donny Deutsch, host of The Big Idea talkshow on CNBC.

Studio 60 seems likely to cement Sorkin’s already massive reputation as a major player in the increasingly powerful world of TV. The huge success of The West Wing, which won a record nine Emmys in its first season, has made him a powerful voice in American culture and one of the leading forces behind the recent torrent of quality programming. ‘All great shows flow from the pen of a writer. Sorkin’s creative vision is what makes this great,’ said Rash.

Predictably, perhaps, Sorkin is now taking on some of the artistic airs and graces normally found only in big shot Hollywood producers and directors. He has almost complete creative control over the show: something that was denied to him on The West Wing. And the funding behind Studio 60 is large – the show is estimated to cost about $3.1m an episode.

The main characters in Studio 60 are clearly based on Sorkin himself. One even has a cocaine problem, mirroring Sorkin’s own real life struggles with drug abuse which once saw him arrested at an LA airport with drugs in his luggage.

In places he uses the show as a vehicle for criticising the TV industry, much as The West Wing would often mirror real-life politics in America. ‘This is a struggle between art and commerce, and art is getting its arse kicked,’ one character laments in the opening episode.

But that analysis might be a little presumptive. Studio 60 is one of many dramatic series just starting that seem to be defending art’s corner quite easily. Some critics are hailing a new ‘golden age’ of challenging US TV, similar to that which hit the movie scene in the 1970s. America’s five networks are bringing out 25 new shows for autumn, of which a staggering 16 are new dramas. And most are dramas emphasising multi-layered plots, moral ambiguity and deep characters. Among them is the new series The Nine, which follows the story of a hostage-taking during a bank robbery through a baffling series of flashbacks. And then there is Six Degrees, which links the lives of six seemingly unconnected Manhattanites. Both shows build on the successful mystery formula of the hit show Lost, as does Jericho, which focuses on the travails of a small Kansas town after a nuclear disaster cuts it off from the rest of America. ‘The enormous success of the dense and literate Lost has stimulated networks to develop more shows of a similar complex nature,’ said Professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse University.

Others take familiar scenarios and give them a new twist. Heroes features a group of teens gradually discovering they have superpowers, but rather than being a comic book drama, it portrays them in a serious way as they struggle with the experience. The crime show Smith follows a gang of criminals, exploring the same morally ambiguous territory as The Sopranos. Nor is Studio 60 the only drama to attract Hollywood names. Smith is a vehicle for Ray Liotta, a new legal caper Shark stars James Woods and, of course, Kiefer Sutherland led the way by lending his talents to the hugely successful and ground-breaking 24.

The factors behind the outbreak of quality are numerous. Ever since Hill Street Blues in the 1980s, American TV has frequently produced intelligent, high quality shows. But rarely have so many come at once.

One of these factors is the success of cable channel HBO, which brought The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Deadwood to niche American audiences, and made millions doing so.

Then there is the fact that Hollywood’s output has been hit by a declining audience and a focus on young people as older movie-goers prefer to stay at home. That has opened up a quality market for TV while movie studios focus on derivative sequels aimed at a teens and twenties market.

At the same time innovations in production techniques have allowed TV series to produce the same sort of visual effects that used to be the sole preserve of Hollywood movies. As more and more American homes install widescreen TVs and state-of-the-art sound systems, TV is becoming a medium that easily rivals the movies for entertainment. ‘Big-shot film directors are now waiting for the call from HBO, unlike the old days, when TV was simply a means to break into the movies,’ said Thompson.

The vibrancy of American TV is also throwing the situation in Britain into sharp relief. Once hailed as a repository of quality TV, British output now looks poor compared with its American equivalent. Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, the British creative force behind The Office, caused headlines recently when they said that British TV dramas were way behind when compared with American ones. One of the biggest successes of American TV over the past year has been the US version of The Office, which was reshot with an American cast and storylines and is now firmly established as a classic comedy in its own right.

However, there is still plenty to complain about when it comes to American TV. With hundreds of cable channels catering for every possible audience, there are a lot of terrible programmes out there as well.

Another recent trend has been the adaption of the ‘telenovella’ style of drama from Latin America. These soap operas are best known for their hysterical overacting, terrible scripts and outlandish plotlines. They are likely to find success, too, in America’s diverse market of 300 million potential viewers. ‘There’s a lot more everything. There is a lot more great TV. There’s a lot more worse TV,’ said Rash.

Tags: Again, America's, Genius, Gold, Strikes

America’s Tv Genius Strikes Gold Again

Something strange is happening on America’s TV screens. In a medium often derided as Hollywood’s less talented little brother, mainstream US TV has suddenly been swamped by an unprecedented wave of critically acclaimed dramas.

TV is now attracting Hollywood stars and directors to produce edgy and sophisticated programmes that used to be the preserve of the movie studios, to the extent that the Emmys may soon start to rival the Oscars as the visual medium’s greatest prize.

The networks are busy unveiling their autumn line-ups of new shows and the dominant themes are unmistakable: complex plots, intense characterisation and sophisticated dialogue. The developments have left critics both delighted and stunned. ‘How did the wasteland get so beautiful?’ asked Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

One reason is New York-born Aaron Sorkin, the man behind the influential political drama The West Wing and whose new programme, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, is many critics’ top pick of the flood of new shows. Studio 60, which will hit British screens next year, has drawn rave reviews, with its intense portrayal of life behind the scenes of a top TV comedy show.

‘It is the best new show of the season,’ said John Rash, communications professor at the University of Minnesota and author of the influential Rash Report survey of new American TV. ‘By excoriating its own media form, it actually shows how great it can be’.

Studio 60 stars former Friends star Matthew Perry and Hollywood actress Amanda Peet, which gives it the same sort of A-list cast as The West Wing. It is also a clear sibling of Sorkin’s previous hit, starring Bradley Whitford, who played Josh in The West Wing.

Sorkin’s writing in the new show – so far – has been top-notch and is clearly intended to do for the TV industry what The West Wing did for politics: open up a strange world for all the viewers to explore. ‘I think Studio 60 is a classic example of that kind of show,’ said Donny Deutsch, host of The Big Idea talkshow on CNBC.

Studio 60 seems likely to cement Sorkin’s already massive reputation as a major player in the increasingly powerful world of TV. The huge success of The West Wing, which won a record nine Emmys in its first season, has made him a powerful voice in American culture and one of the leading forces behind the recent torrent of quality programming. ‘All great shows flow from the pen of a writer. Sorkin’s creative vision is what makes this great,’ said Rash.

Predictably, perhaps, Sorkin is now taking on some of the artistic airs and graces normally found only in big shot Hollywood producers and directors. He has almost complete creative control over the show: something that was denied to him on The West Wing. And the funding behind Studio 60 is large – the show is estimated to cost about $3.1m an episode.

The main characters in Studio 60 are clearly based on Sorkin himself. One even has a cocaine problem, mirroring Sorkin’s own real life struggles with drug abuse which once saw him arrested at an LA airport with drugs in his luggage.

In places he uses the show as a vehicle for criticising the TV industry, much as The West Wing would often mirror real-life politics in America. ‘This is a struggle between art and commerce, and art is getting its arse kicked,’ one character laments in the opening episode.

But that analysis might be a little presumptive. Studio 60 is one of many dramatic series just starting that seem to be defending art’s corner quite easily. Some critics are hailing a new ‘golden age’ of challenging US TV, similar to that which hit the movie scene in the 1970s. America’s five networks are bringing out 25 new shows for autumn, of which a staggering 16 are new dramas. And most are dramas emphasising multi-layered plots, moral ambiguity and deep characters. Among them is the new series The Nine, which follows the story of a hostage-taking during a bank robbery through a baffling series of flashbacks. And then there is Six Degrees, which links the lives of six seemingly unconnected Manhattanites. Both shows build on the successful mystery formula of the hit show Lost, as does Jericho, which focuses on the travails of a small Kansas town after a nuclear disaster cuts it off from the rest of America. ‘The enormous success of the dense and literate Lost has stimulated networks to develop more shows of a similar complex nature,’ said Professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse University.

Others take familiar scenarios and give them a new twist. Heroes features a group of teens gradually discovering they have superpowers, but rather than being a comic book drama, it portrays them in a serious way as they struggle with the experience. The crime show Smith follows a gang of criminals, exploring the same morally ambiguous territory as The Sopranos. Nor is Studio 60 the only drama to attract Hollywood names. Smith is a vehicle for Ray Liotta, a new legal caper Shark stars James Woods and, of course, Kiefer Sutherland led the way by lending his talents to the hugely successful and ground-breaking 24.

The factors behind the outbreak of quality are numerous. Ever since Hill Street Blues in the 1980s, American TV has frequently produced intelligent, high quality shows. But rarely have so many come at once.

One of these factors is the success of cable channel HBO, which brought The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Deadwood to niche American audiences, and made millions doing so.

Then there is the fact that Hollywood’s output has been hit by a declining audience and a focus on young people as older movie-goers prefer to stay at home. That has opened up a quality market for TV while movie studios focus on derivative sequels aimed at a teens and twenties market.

At the same time innovations in production techniques have allowed TV series to produce the same sort of visual effects that used to be the sole preserve of Hollywood movies. As more and more American homes install widescreen TVs and state-of-the-art sound systems, TV is becoming a medium that easily rivals the movies for entertainment. ‘Big-shot film directors are now waiting for the call from HBO, unlike the old days, when TV was simply a means to break into the movies,’ said Thompson.

The vibrancy of American TV is also throwing the situation in Britain into sharp relief. Once hailed as a repository of quality TV, British output now looks poor compared with its American equivalent. Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, the British creative force behind The Office, caused headlines recently when they said that British TV dramas were way behind when compared with American ones. One of the biggest successes of American TV over the past year has been the US version of The Office, which was reshot with an American cast and storylines and is now firmly established as a classic comedy in its own right.

However, there is still plenty to complain about when it comes to American TV. With hundreds of cable channels catering for every possible audience, there are a lot of terrible programmes out there as well.

Another recent trend has been the adaption of the ‘telenovella’ style of drama from Latin America. These soap operas are best known for their hysterical overacting, terrible scripts and outlandish plotlines. They are likely to find success, too, in America’s diverse market of 300 million potential viewers. ‘There’s a lot more everything. There is a lot more great TV. There’s a lot more worse TV,’ said Rash.

Tags: Again, America's, Genius, Gold, Strikes

America’s Tv Genius Strikes Gold Again

Something strange is happening on America’s TV screens. In a medium often derided as Hollywood’s less talented little brother, mainstream US TV has suddenly been swamped by an unprecedented wave of critically acclaimed dramas.

TV is now attracting Hollywood stars and directors to produce edgy and sophisticated programmes that used to be the preserve of the movie studios, to the extent that the Emmys may soon start to rival the Oscars as the visual medium’s greatest prize.

The networks are busy unveiling their autumn line-ups of new shows and the dominant themes are unmistakable: complex plots, intense characterisation and sophisticated dialogue. The developments have left critics both delighted and stunned. ‘How did the wasteland get so beautiful?’ asked Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

One reason is New York-born Aaron Sorkin, the man behind the influential political drama The West Wing and whose new programme, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, is many critics’ top pick of the flood of new shows. Studio 60, which will hit British screens next year, has drawn rave reviews, with its intense portrayal of life behind the scenes of a top TV comedy show.

‘It is the best new show of the season,’ said John Rash, communications professor at the University of Minnesota and author of the influential Rash Report survey of new American TV. ‘By excoriating its own media form, it actually shows how great it can be’.

Studio 60 stars former Friends star Matthew Perry and Hollywood actress Amanda Peet, which gives it the same sort of A-list cast as The West Wing. It is also a clear sibling of Sorkin’s previous hit, starring Bradley Whitford, who played Josh in The West Wing.

Sorkin’s writing in the new show – so far – has been top-notch and is clearly intended to do for the TV industry what The West Wing did for politics: open up a strange world for all the viewers to explore. ‘I think Studio 60 is a classic example of that kind of show,’ said Donny Deutsch, host of The Big Idea talkshow on CNBC.

Studio 60 seems likely to cement Sorkin’s already massive reputation as a major player in the increasingly powerful world of TV. The huge success of The West Wing, which won a record nine Emmys in its first season, has made him a powerful voice in American culture and one of the leading forces behind the recent torrent of quality programming. ‘All great shows flow from the pen of a writer. Sorkin’s creative vision is what makes this great,’ said Rash.

Predictably, perhaps, Sorkin is now taking on some of the artistic airs and graces normally found only in big shot Hollywood producers and directors. He has almost complete creative control over the show: something that was denied to him on The West Wing. And the funding behind Studio 60 is large – the show is estimated to cost about $3.1m an episode.

The main characters in Studio 60 are clearly based on Sorkin himself. One even has a cocaine problem, mirroring Sorkin’s own real life struggles with drug abuse which once saw him arrested at an LA airport with drugs in his luggage.

In places he uses the show as a vehicle for criticising the TV industry, much as The West Wing would often mirror real-life politics in America. ‘This is a struggle between art and commerce, and art is getting its arse kicked,’ one character laments in the opening episode.

But that analysis might be a little presumptive. Studio 60 is one of many dramatic series just starting that seem to be defending art’s corner quite easily. Some critics are hailing a new ‘golden age’ of challenging US TV, similar to that which hit the movie scene in the 1970s. America’s five networks are bringing out 25 new shows for autumn, of which a staggering 16 are new dramas. And most are dramas emphasising multi-layered plots, moral ambiguity and deep characters. Among them is the new series The Nine, which follows the story of a hostage-taking during a bank robbery through a baffling series of flashbacks. And then there is Six Degrees, which links the lives of six seemingly unconnected Manhattanites. Both shows build on the successful mystery formula of the hit show Lost, as does Jericho, which focuses on the travails of a small Kansas town after a nuclear disaster cuts it off from the rest of America. ‘The enormous success of the dense and literate Lost has stimulated networks to develop more shows of a similar complex nature,’ said Professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse University.

Others take familiar scenarios and give them a new twist. Heroes features a group of teens gradually discovering they have superpowers, but rather than being a comic book drama, it portrays them in a serious way as they struggle with the experience. The crime show Smith follows a gang of criminals, exploring the same morally ambiguous territory as The Sopranos. Nor is Studio 60 the only drama to attract Hollywood names. Smith is a vehicle for Ray Liotta, a new legal caper Shark stars James Woods and, of course, Kiefer Sutherland led the way by lending his talents to the hugely successful and ground-breaking 24.

The factors behind the outbreak of quality are numerous. Ever since Hill Street Blues in the 1980s, American TV has frequently produced intelligent, high quality shows. But rarely have so many come at once.

One of these factors is the success of cable channel HBO, which brought The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Deadwood to niche American audiences, and made millions doing so.

Then there is the fact that Hollywood’s output has been hit by a declining audience and a focus on young people as older movie-goers prefer to stay at home. That has opened up a quality market for TV while movie studios focus on derivative sequels aimed at a teens and twenties market.

At the same time innovations in production techniques have allowed TV series to produce the same sort of visual effects that used to be the sole preserve of Hollywood movies. As more and more American homes install widescreen TVs and state-of-the-art sound systems, TV is becoming a medium that easily rivals the movies for entertainment. ‘Big-shot film directors are now waiting for the call from HBO, unlike the old days, when TV was simply a means to break into the movies,’ said Thompson.

The vibrancy of American TV is also throwing the situation in Britain into sharp relief. Once hailed as a repository of quality TV, British output now looks poor compared with its American equivalent. Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, the British creative force behind The Office, caused headlines recently when they said that British TV dramas were way behind when compared with American ones. One of the biggest successes of American TV over the past year has been the US version of The Office, which was reshot with an American cast and storylines and is now firmly established as a classic comedy in its own right.

However, there is still plenty to complain about when it comes to American TV. With hundreds of cable channels catering for every possible audience, there are a lot of terrible programmes out there as well.

Another recent trend has been the adaption of the ‘telenovella’ style of drama from Latin America. These soap operas are best known for their hysterical overacting, terrible scripts and outlandish plotlines. They are likely to find success, too, in America’s diverse market of 300 million potential viewers. ‘There’s a lot more everything. There is a lot more great TV. There’s a lot more worse TV,’ said Rash.

Tags: Again, America's, Genius, Gold, Strikes

America’s Tv Genius Strikes Gold Again

Something strange is happening on America’s TV screens. In a medium often derided as Hollywood’s less talented little brother, mainstream US TV has suddenly been swamped by an unprecedented wave of critically acclaimed dramas.

TV is now attracting Hollywood stars and directors to produce edgy and sophisticated programmes that used to be the preserve of the movie studios, to the extent that the Emmys may soon start to rival the Oscars as the visual medium’s greatest prize.

The networks are busy unveiling their autumn line-ups of new shows and the dominant themes are unmistakable: complex plots, intense characterisation and sophisticated dialogue. The developments have left critics both delighted and stunned. ‘How did the wasteland get so beautiful?’ asked Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

One reason is New York-born Aaron Sorkin, the man behind the influential political drama The West Wing and whose new programme, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, is many critics’ top pick of the flood of new shows. Studio 60, which will hit British screens next year, has drawn rave reviews, with its intense portrayal of life behind the scenes of a top TV comedy show.

‘It is the best new show of the season,’ said John Rash, communications professor at the University of Minnesota and author of the influential Rash Report survey of new American TV. ‘By excoriating its own media form, it actually shows how great it can be’.

Studio 60 stars former Friends star Matthew Perry and Hollywood actress Amanda Peet, which gives it the same sort of A-list cast as The West Wing. It is also a clear sibling of Sorkin’s previous hit, starring Bradley Whitford, who played Josh in The West Wing.

Sorkin’s writing in the new show – so far – has been top-notch and is clearly intended to do for the TV industry what The West Wing did for politics: open up a strange world for all the viewers to explore. ‘I think Studio 60 is a classic example of that kind of show,’ said Donny Deutsch, host of The Big Idea talkshow on CNBC.

Studio 60 seems likely to cement Sorkin’s already massive reputation as a major player in the increasingly powerful world of TV. The huge success of The West Wing, which won a record nine Emmys in its first season, has made him a powerful voice in American culture and one of the leading forces behind the recent torrent of quality programming. ‘All great shows flow from the pen of a writer. Sorkin’s creative vision is what makes this great,’ said Rash.

Predictably, perhaps, Sorkin is now taking on some of the artistic airs and graces normally found only in big shot Hollywood producers and directors. He has almost complete creative control over the show: something that was denied to him on The West Wing. And the funding behind Studio 60 is large – the show is estimated to cost about $3.1m an episode.

The main characters in Studio 60 are clearly based on Sorkin himself. One even has a cocaine problem, mirroring Sorkin’s own real life struggles with drug abuse which once saw him arrested at an LA airport with drugs in his luggage.

In places he uses the show as a vehicle for criticising the TV industry, much as The West Wing would often mirror real-life politics in America. ‘This is a struggle between art and commerce, and art is getting its arse kicked,’ one character laments in the opening episode.

But that analysis might be a little presumptive. Studio 60 is one of many dramatic series just starting that seem to be defending art’s corner quite easily. Some critics are hailing a new ‘golden age’ of challenging US TV, similar to that which hit the movie scene in the 1970s. America’s five networks are bringing out 25 new shows for autumn, of which a staggering 16 are new dramas. And most are dramas emphasising multi-layered plots, moral ambiguity and deep characters. Among them is the new series The Nine, which follows the story of a hostage-taking during a bank robbery through a baffling series of flashbacks. And then there is Six Degrees, which links the lives of six seemingly unconnected Manhattanites. Both shows build on the successful mystery formula of the hit show Lost, as does Jericho, which focuses on the travails of a small Kansas town after a nuclear disaster cuts it off from the rest of America. ‘The enormous success of the dense and literate Lost has stimulated networks to develop more shows of a similar complex nature,’ said Professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse University.

Others take familiar scenarios and give them a new twist. Heroes features a group of teens gradually discovering they have superpowers, but rather than being a comic book drama, it portrays them in a serious way as they struggle with the experience. The crime show Smith follows a gang of criminals, exploring the same morally ambiguous territory as The Sopranos. Nor is Studio 60 the only drama to attract Hollywood names. Smith is a vehicle for Ray Liotta, a new legal caper Shark stars James Woods and, of course, Kiefer Sutherland led the way by lending his talents to the hugely successful and ground-breaking 24.

The factors behind the outbreak of quality are numerous. Ever since Hill Street Blues in the 1980s, American TV has frequently produced intelligent, high quality shows. But rarely have so many come at once.

One of these factors is the success of cable channel HBO, which brought The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Deadwood to niche American audiences, and made millions doing so.

Then there is the fact that Hollywood’s output has been hit by a declining audience and a focus on young people as older movie-goers prefer to stay at home. That has opened up a quality market for TV while movie studios focus on derivative sequels aimed at a teens and twenties market.

At the same time innovations in production techniques have allowed TV series to produce the same sort of visual effects that used to be the sole preserve of Hollywood movies. As more and more American homes install widescreen TVs and state-of-the-art sound systems, TV is becoming a medium that easily rivals the movies for entertainment. ‘Big-shot film directors are now waiting for the call from HBO, unlike the old days, when TV was simply a means to break into the movies,’ said Thompson.

The vibrancy of American TV is also throwing the situation in Britain into sharp relief. Once hailed as a repository of quality TV, British output now looks poor compared with its American equivalent. Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, the British creative force behind The Office, caused headlines recently when they said that British TV dramas were way behind when compared with American ones. One of the biggest successes of American TV over the past year has been the US version of The Office, which was reshot with an American cast and storylines and is now firmly established as a classic comedy in its own right.

However, there is still plenty to complain about when it comes to American TV. With hundreds of cable channels catering for every possible audience, there are a lot of terrible programmes out there as well.

Another recent trend has been the adaption of the ‘telenovella’ style of drama from Latin America. These soap operas are best known for their hysterical overacting, terrible scripts and outlandish plotlines. They are likely to find success, too, in America’s diverse market of 300 million potential viewers. ‘There’s a lot more everything. There is a lot more great TV. There’s a lot more worse TV,’ said Rash.

Tags: Again, America's, Genius, Gold, Strikes

America’s Tv Genius Strikes Gold Again

Something strange is happening on America’s TV screens. In a medium often derided as Hollywood’s less talented little brother, mainstream US TV has suddenly been swamped by an unprecedented wave of critically acclaimed dramas.

TV is now attracting Hollywood stars and directors to produce edgy and sophisticated programmes that used to be the preserve of the movie studios, to the extent that the Emmys may soon start to rival the Oscars as the visual medium’s greatest prize.

The networks are busy unveiling their autumn line-ups of new shows and the dominant themes are unmistakable: complex plots, intense characterisation and sophisticated dialogue. The developments have left critics both delighted and stunned. ‘How did the wasteland get so beautiful?’ asked Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

One reason is New York-born Aaron Sorkin, the man behind the influential political drama The West Wing and whose new programme, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, is many critics’ top pick of the flood of new shows. Studio 60, which will hit British screens next year, has drawn rave reviews, with its intense portrayal of life behind the scenes of a top TV comedy show.

‘It is the best new show of the season,’ said John Rash, communications professor at the University of Minnesota and author of the influential Rash Report survey of new American TV. ‘By excoriating its own media form, it actually shows how great it can be’.

Studio 60 stars former Friends star Matthew Perry and Hollywood actress Amanda Peet, which gives it the same sort of A-list cast as The West Wing. It is also a clear sibling of Sorkin’s previous hit, starring Bradley Whitford, who played Josh in The West Wing.

Sorkin’s writing in the new show – so far – has been top-notch and is clearly intended to do for the TV industry what The West Wing did for politics: open up a strange world for all the viewers to explore. ‘I think Studio 60 is a classic example of that kind of show,’ said Donny Deutsch, host of The Big Idea talkshow on CNBC.

Studio 60 seems likely to cement Sorkin’s already massive reputation as a major player in the increasingly powerful world of TV. The huge success of The West Wing, which won a record nine Emmys in its first season, has made him a powerful voice in American culture and one of the leading forces behind the recent torrent of quality programming. ‘All great shows flow from the pen of a writer. Sorkin’s creative vision is what makes this great,’ said Rash.

Predictably, perhaps, Sorkin is now taking on some of the artistic airs and graces normally found only in big shot Hollywood producers and directors. He has almost complete creative control over the show: something that was denied to him on The West Wing. And the funding behind Studio 60 is large – the show is estimated to cost about $3.1m an episode.

The main characters in Studio 60 are clearly based on Sorkin himself. One even has a cocaine problem, mirroring Sorkin’s own real life struggles with drug abuse which once saw him arrested at an LA airport with drugs in his luggage.

In places he uses the show as a vehicle for criticising the TV industry, much as The West Wing would often mirror real-life politics in America. ‘This is a struggle between art and commerce, and art is getting its arse kicked,’ one character laments in the opening episode.

But that analysis might be a little presumptive. Studio 60 is one of many dramatic series just starting that seem to be defending art’s corner quite easily. Some critics are hailing a new ‘golden age’ of challenging US TV, similar to that which hit the movie scene in the 1970s. America’s five networks are bringing out 25 new shows for autumn, of which a staggering 16 are new dramas. And most are dramas emphasising multi-layered plots, moral ambiguity and deep characters. Among them is the new series The Nine, which follows the story of a hostage-taking during a bank robbery through a baffling series of flashbacks. And then there is Six Degrees, which links the lives of six seemingly unconnected Manhattanites. Both shows build on the successful mystery formula of the hit show Lost, as does Jericho, which focuses on the travails of a small Kansas town after a nuclear disaster cuts it off from the rest of America. ‘The enormous success of the dense and literate Lost has stimulated networks to develop more shows of a similar complex nature,’ said Professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse University.

Others take familiar scenarios and give them a new twist. Heroes features a group of teens gradually discovering they have superpowers, but rather than being a comic book drama, it portrays them in a serious way as they struggle with the experience. The crime show Smith follows a gang of criminals, exploring the same morally ambiguous territory as The Sopranos. Nor is Studio 60 the only drama to attract Hollywood names. Smith is a vehicle for Ray Liotta, a new legal caper Shark stars James Woods and, of course, Kiefer Sutherland led the way by lending his talents to the hugely successful and ground-breaking 24.

The factors behind the outbreak of quality are numerous. Ever since Hill Street Blues in the 1980s, American TV has frequently produced intelligent, high quality shows. But rarely have so many come at once.

One of these factors is the success of cable channel HBO, which brought The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Deadwood to niche American audiences, and made millions doing so.

Then there is the fact that Hollywood’s output has been hit by a declining audience and a focus on young people as older movie-goers prefer to stay at home. That has opened up a quality market for TV while movie studios focus on derivative sequels aimed at a teens and twenties market.

At the same time innovations in production techniques have allowed TV series to produce the same sort of visual effects that used to be the sole preserve of Hollywood movies. As more and more American homes install widescreen TVs and state-of-the-art sound systems, TV is becoming a medium that easily rivals the movies for entertainment. ‘Big-shot film directors are now waiting for the call from HBO, unlike the old days, when TV was simply a means to break into the movies,’ said Thompson.

The vibrancy of American TV is also throwing the situation in Britain into sharp relief. Once hailed as a repository of quality TV, British output now looks poor compared with its American equivalent. Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, the British creative force behind The Office, caused headlines recently when they said that British TV dramas were way behind when compared with American ones. One of the biggest successes of American TV over the past year has been the US version of The Office, which was reshot with an American cast and storylines and is now firmly established as a classic comedy in its own right.

However, there is still plenty to complain about when it comes to American TV. With hundreds of cable channels catering for every possible audience, there are a lot of terrible programmes out there as well.

Another recent trend has been the adaption of the ‘telenovella’ style of drama from Latin America. These soap operas are best known for their hysterical overacting, terrible scripts and outlandish plotlines. They are likely to find success, too, in America’s diverse market of 300 million potential viewers. ‘There’s a lot more everything. There is a lot more great TV. There’s a lot more worse TV,’ said Rash.

Tags: Again, America's, Genius, Gold, Strikes

America’s Tv Genius Strikes Gold Again

Something strange is happening on America’s TV screens. In a medium often derided as Hollywood’s less talented little brother, mainstream US TV has suddenly been swamped by an unprecedented wave of critically acclaimed dramas.

TV is now attracting Hollywood stars and directors to produce edgy and sophisticated programmes that used to be the preserve of the movie studios, to the extent that the Emmys may soon start to rival the Oscars as the visual medium’s greatest prize.

The networks are busy unveiling their autumn line-ups of new shows and the dominant themes are unmistakable: complex plots, intense characterisation and sophisticated dialogue. The developments have left critics both delighted and stunned. ‘How did the wasteland get so beautiful?’ asked Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

One reason is New York-born Aaron Sorkin, the man behind the influential political drama The West Wing and whose new programme, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, is many critics’ top pick of the flood of new shows. Studio 60, which will hit British screens next year, has drawn rave reviews, with its intense portrayal of life behind the scenes of a top TV comedy show.

‘It is the best new show of the season,’ said John Rash, communications professor at the University of Minnesota and author of the influential Rash Report survey of new American TV. ‘By excoriating its own media form, it actually shows how great it can be’.

Studio 60 stars former Friends star Matthew Perry and Hollywood actress Amanda Peet, which gives it the same sort of A-list cast as The West Wing. It is also a clear sibling of Sorkin’s previous hit, starring Bradley Whitford, who played Josh in The West Wing.

Sorkin’s writing in the new show – so far – has been top-notch and is clearly intended to do for the TV industry what The West Wing did for politics: open up a strange world for all the viewers to explore. ‘I think Studio 60 is a classic example of that kind of show,’ said Donny Deutsch, host of The Big Idea talkshow on CNBC.

Studio 60 seems likely to cement Sorkin’s already massive reputation as a major player in the increasingly powerful world of TV. The huge success of The West Wing, which won a record nine Emmys in its first season, has made him a powerful voice in American culture and one of the leading forces behind the recent torrent of quality programming. ‘All great shows flow from the pen of a writer. Sorkin’s creative vision is what makes this great,’ said Rash.

Predictably, perhaps, Sorkin is now taking on some of the artistic airs and graces normally found only in big shot Hollywood producers and directors. He has almost complete creative control over the show: something that was denied to him on The West Wing. And the funding behind Studio 60 is large – the show is estimated to cost about $3.1m an episode.

The main characters in Studio 60 are clearly based on Sorkin himself. One even has a cocaine problem, mirroring Sorkin’s own real life struggles with drug abuse which once saw him arrested at an LA airport with drugs in his luggage.

In places he uses the show as a vehicle for criticising the TV industry, much as The West Wing would often mirror real-life politics in America. ‘This is a struggle between art and commerce, and art is getting its arse kicked,’ one character laments in the opening episode.

But that analysis might be a little presumptive. Studio 60 is one of many dramatic series just starting that seem to be defending art’s corner quite easily. Some critics are hailing a new ‘golden age’ of challenging US TV, similar to that which hit the movie scene in the 1970s. America’s five networks are bringing out 25 new shows for autumn, of which a staggering 16 are new dramas. And most are dramas emphasising multi-layered plots, moral ambiguity and deep characters. Among them is the new series The Nine, which follows the story of a hostage-taking during a bank robbery through a baffling series of flashbacks. And then there is Six Degrees, which links the lives of six seemingly unconnected Manhattanites. Both shows build on the successful mystery formula of the hit show Lost, as does Jericho, which focuses on the travails of a small Kansas town after a nuclear disaster cuts it off from the rest of America. ‘The enormous success of the dense and literate Lost has stimulated networks to develop more shows of a similar complex nature,’ said Professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse University.

Others take familiar scenarios and give them a new twist. Heroes features a group of teens gradually discovering they have superpowers, but rather than being a comic book drama, it portrays them in a serious way as they struggle with the experience. The crime show Smith follows a gang of criminals, exploring the same morally ambiguous territory as The Sopranos. Nor is Studio 60 the only drama to attract Hollywood names. Smith is a vehicle for Ray Liotta, a new legal caper Shark stars James Woods and, of course, Kiefer Sutherland led the way by lending his talents to the hugely successful and ground-breaking 24.

The factors behind the outbreak of quality are numerous. Ever since Hill Street Blues in the 1980s, American TV has frequently produced intelligent, high quality shows. But rarely have so many come at once.

One of these factors is the success of cable channel HBO, which brought The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Deadwood to niche American audiences, and made millions doing so.

Then there is the fact that Hollywood’s output has been hit by a declining audience and a focus on young people as older movie-goers prefer to stay at home. That has opened up a quality market for TV while movie studios focus on derivative sequels aimed at a teens and twenties market.

At the same time innovations in production techniques have allowed TV series to produce the same sort of visual effects that used to be the sole preserve of Hollywood movies. As more and more American homes install widescreen TVs and state-of-the-art sound systems, TV is becoming a medium that easily rivals the movies for entertainment. ‘Big-shot film directors are now waiting for the call from HBO, unlike the old days, when TV was simply a means to break into the movies,’ said Thompson.

The vibrancy of American TV is also throwing the situation in Britain into sharp relief. Once hailed as a repository of quality TV, British output now looks poor compared with its American equivalent. Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, the British creative force behind The Office, caused headlines recently when they said that British TV dramas were way behind when compared with American ones. One of the biggest successes of American TV over the past year has been the US version of The Office, which was reshot with an American cast and storylines and is now firmly established as a classic comedy in its own right.

However, there is still plenty to complain about when it comes to American TV. With hundreds of cable channels catering for every possible audience, there are a lot of terrible programmes out there as well.

Another recent trend has been the adaption of the ‘telenovella’ style of drama from Latin America. These soap operas are best known for their hysterical overacting, terrible scripts and outlandish plotlines. They are likely to find success, too, in America’s diverse market of 300 million potential viewers. ‘There’s a lot more everything. There is a lot more great TV. There’s a lot more worse TV,’ said Rash.

Tags: Again, America's, Genius, Gold, Strikes

Olympics 2008: Heroes Are Home: Now It’s a Race to Turn Beijing Gold Into Million-pound Deals

Parading their gold medals in front of the television cameras this week, Britain’s Olympic champions wisely avoided talking about their monetary value. But behind the scenes, agents and corporate sponsors have kick-started negotiations which could transform Team GB’s finest into millionaires.

They might not expect the fortune awaiting Olympic swimming giant Michael Phelps – in line, according to his agent, to earn as much as £50m – but most of Britain’s gold medalists can hope to reach six figure sums through a combination of sponsorship deals and appearance fees. (Melted down, the medallion itself – made of silver coated with 6g (0.2oz) of gold – would not fetch much over £120.)

“This is the best performing British team since 1908, they’re the golden team,” said Nick Bitel, chief executive of the London marathon and a sports lawyer. “That will elevate each of their value.”

The most ambitious among the returning champions is Chris Hoy, the triple gold medal track cyclist – marketable as Scotland’s greatest Olympian. He is sponsored by eight companies, including BT, cycle and cycling equipment manufacturer Shimano and B&Q.

His agent, Ricky Cowan, said he was in discussion with blue chip companies about future backing, and two Scottish sponsors would be unveiled in the coming days. “We’re looking for four or five deals worth around £400,000 each,” he said. “Could there be a £1m contract out there? Yes, probably. Could it get to £2m in total? I’d like to think so.”

London 2012 sponsors such as British Airways, Lloyds TSB and EDF are also rumoured to be contemplating recruiting the cyclist as the “ambassador” for the next games.

Second in line is Rebecca Adlington, the 19-year-old from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, who won two swimming golds to become the country’s first success in the pool since 1988. Before the games, Adlington did not have a sponsor. The most optimistic industry insiders estimate that she can now expect to earn as much as £1m – more than enough, it seems, to meet her needs. “I most want to get a kit deal so that I don’t keep buying equipment for swimming,” she said when asked about sponsorship plans. “I owe my parents a lot of money.”

Boxer James DeGale will expect a similar windfall – not from sponsorship, but from a lucrative move into the professional arena following in the steps of previous British Olympic successes, Amir Khan and Audley Harrison.

“The smart athletes should wait for the dust to settle,” said Jonathan Marks, agent for four British gold medalists, including cyclist Bradley Wiggins. “Brands are going to want to have a gold medalist in their portfolio in the run-up to 2012.”

Colin Grannell, who heads European marketing for Visa, which has been an Olympic partner since 1986, said there had been a shift from generally associating a brand with the games, to focusing on individual athletes. “The whole point is that we want to take Visa to as many people as possible. The athletes can do that,” he said. “We help them and they help us.”

Visa, which now counts more than 90 athletes on its Team Visa books worldwide, will be selecting 2012 recruits in the coming months.

Nigel Currie, director of marketing agency Brand Rapport, predicted that athletes can “at least double” their expectations because of opportunities linked to 2012. But he warned that for lesser-known athletes, Team GB’s outstanding success could prove a mixed-blessing – diluting the individual value of a British gold.

“There’s a slight lessening of the sponsorship because of the sheer number of gold medals we won, and the number of sportsmen and women involved,” he said.

The British Olympic Authority issues strict guidelines for athletes dictating, for example, which brand of sportswear and equipment athletes can use, and taking care not to offend official Olympic sponsors. The amount athletes receive through lottery funding is also means-tested, meaning the more they secure from corporate sponsors the less they receive in grants.

But there is still money to be made in a market that often hinges on the profile of an athlete – and their sport.

Christine Ohuruogu’s brand has been tainted by the controversy over her missed drugs tests, agents said, but some still predict that the 400m winner will secure some of the biggest earnings. “Someone like Christine, because she’s an Olympic champion in athletics, can earn up to £50,000 just for turning up to events,” said Bitel.

The athlete many agents agree could be the most commercially lucrative personality returning from Beijing failed to win any medal. As one agent put it, 14-year-old Tom Daley, who has charisma and good looks as well as sporting ability that belies his age, is “the great marketing property”.

The same cannot be said for victors of team sports such as rowing or sailing. When Sarah Webb, Sarah Ayton and Pippa Wilson combined efforts to sail to victory in an Yngling boat, for example, it earned them the dubious title “three blonds in a boat,” but not, say sponsorship experts, much more than £100,000 as reward.

Another largely unknown gold medallist, canoeist Tim Brabants, was circumspect about his prospects, saying he would be happy to receive any financial assistance at all. A qualified doctor, Brabants is returning to an NHS casualty department to fund his way to London 2012. “Until now [sponsorship] has been mainly clothes and food,” he said. “If it’s free, I’ll eat it.”

Tags: 2008, Beijing, Deals, Gold, Heroes, Home, Into, It's, Millionpound, Olympics, Race, Turn