BET Schedule Notes; Network Notes

As I stated previously, BET is adding Smart Guy this weekend with marathon on Saturday from 11am-4pm before joining the line-up weekdays 5-6pm next week. Now BET has announced that the Saturday morning airings will start next Saturday (Sept. 13) from 11am-12pm leading into Steve Harvey from 12-1pm. It was originally slated to start on Saturdays on Sept. 27 and from 11am-1pm, we are not sure if it will be still that on the 27th, but at the very least it will be 11am-12pm on Saturday mornings. We'll keep you posted.
Other BET schedule notes include a Judge Hatchett launch marathon on Saturday, Sept. 20 and Sunday, Sept. 21.

The CW has pushed back the premieres of its new Sunday Night MRC block by two weeks to Sunday, October 5. It is said that The CW/MRC want to avoid The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 21. Also, 4Real and In Harm's Way have switched timeslots. 4Real will now air 5:00 & 5:30pm followed by two episodes (new/repeat) of In Harm's Way from 6-8pm. Dramas Valentine and Easy Money follow and will still air at 8 and 9pm. Bob Saget's new sitcom Surviving Suburbia, was set to premiere on November 2 but now has been pushed back to early 2009.
CBS will encore the premiere episode of new Tuesday drama The Mentalist (premiering Tues., Sept. 23 at 9) on Friday, Sepember 26 at 8pm leading into to the first Presidential Debate between Obama and McCain. ABC will air 20/20 in that slot leading into to the Debate. Fox and NBC have not said anything otherwise, so you can expect an episode of 5th Grader and America's Toughest Jobs in the slot, as of now. This is the first of four primetime debates. The next one will be Thursday, October 2 between VP nominees Biden and Palin, then Tuesday, October 7 will be the second one with Obama and McCain. The final one is Wednesday, October 15, also between Obama and McCain. Programming in the 8pm hour for these three have not been yet announced. All debates will air at 9pm ET followed by an analysis at 10:30pm ET.

Pretty slow day, but stay tuned tomorrow as the sitcom pilot season kicks off with our review of the upcoming Fox sitcom Do Not Disturb, premiering Wednesday at 9:30pm on Fox. Will it actually be good or like the other Fox sitcom duds of recent seasons (Happy Hour, Jezebel James, etc.)? Stay tuned tomorrow!

TV Land Announces Details on New Original; ABC Friday Change and More; Barry Williams Blog

TV Land has begun production on the new reality series She's Got The Look, the search for the next new face of the fashion industry. In partnership with Wilhelmina Models, Inc., the series previously titled The Next Great Supermodel -- sets out to discover the next star: a woman 35 or older who exudes sophistication, beauty and confidence and wants to be a model. One winner will receive a lucrative modeling contract with Wilhelmina Models, Inc. and a feature in SELF Magazine. Iconic supermodel Kim Alexis, who has graced the cover of more than 500 magazines, will host She's Got The Look. Supermodel Beverly Johnson -- who made history as the first African-American model to grace the cover of American Vogue -- celebrity stylist Robert Verdi and Wilhelmina President Sean Patterson will be featured as judges on the series. The series is executive produced by Emmy Award-Winner Allison Grodner (Big Brother, Blowout) and is scheduled to debut in early summer 2008.
Currently filming in New York City, She's Got The Look follows 20 women -- all over the age of 35 -- vying for a modeling contract. Selected by TV Land and Wilhelmina's Model Search team after months of auditions and regional competitions around the country, the contenders have been flown to New York to live in a house together to see who has what it takes to be the next great supermodel. Through a series of competitions such as photo shoots and tests on their fashion know-how, women will be eliminated weekly until the ultimate winner is crowned.

Effective Friday, November 2, 2007 Men in Trees will move from 10:00 PM ET/PT Fridays to 8:00 PM ET/PT Fridays, while 20/20 will move from 8:00 PM ET/PT Fridays to 10:02 PM ET/PT Fridays. So this is a switcharoo. This Friday (Oct. 26) 20/20 will be pre-empted at 8:00 PM for an encore of Grey's Anatomy.
ABC is bringing back October Road and Notes from the Underbelly back this November for second seasons. October Road will launch its new season on a special night (Thursday, November 22) at 10 PM ET/PT, following Grey's Anatomy. Then it will move to Mondays at 10:00 PM ET/PT starting the following Monday (Nov. 26). Also launching its new season that Monday will be the sitcom Notes from the Underbelly, which will air Mondays at 9:30 PM ET/PT, which means Samantha Who? will move to 9:00 PM ET/PT. That night will be the first part of the huge Dancing with the Stars season finale, which will air 8-9 PM ET/PT that night. So the lead-in will be great for these two returning series.
Also starting January 7, the Mondays at 8:00 PM ET/PT slot will be the Dancing with the Stars spinoff Dance War, which will have judges Bruno and Carie Ann from the mega hit with a dancing team and will compete against each other.

Barry Williams (Greg from The Brady Bunch) is getting ready to launch his own blog and is looking for writers/fans to contribute to it on a regular basis. He is looking for six co-authors to write with him on his soon to be launched blog - The Greg Brady Project. They are looking for fans from all over to share views on Brady related and non-Brady related topics. Each co-author will be asked to contribute on a range of perspectives twice a week. No experience is necessary and this is a non-paid position. Bloggers will enjoy special benefits. Think you would be great for this? Email them and tell them why in 500 words or less. They will need your submission on or before November 1. So hurry! They will interview the top 20 entrants and make their selections by November 15, 2007. Be a part of the excitement! Submit your entry today! Contact Derrick Daye at: ddaye@barrywilliams.com

No sitcoms tonight, as the World Series will air and pre-empt the Fox sitcom hour at 8/7 central.

Real Story on Bob Barker's Retirement? New Book By Chris Mann Coming; ABC Modifies Fall Friday Schedule

The great Chris Mann, who Three's Company fans know and love (as he wrote the excellent book Come and Knock on Our Door), just did an article for RadarOnline.com regarding the real dirt and scoop on why possibly Bob Barker announced his retirement from The Price is Right earlier than planned. Click HERE to view this great multiple page article. Chris interviews a lot of people for it and it really is interesting. Remember to tune in tomorrow (Friday) for Bob Barker's final episode of The Price is Right at 11am ET or in primetime at 8pm ET/PT on CBS! You don't want to miss this piece of television history...so come on down!
In addition to this article, Chris is working on a tell-all book on the show. I can't wait to read it, as this show had a lot of backstage problems, mostly with Bob and his "beauties" -- from sexual harassment to being fired because of weight gain. Good luck Chris!

ABC has not announced this yet, but the Men in Trees' official website has a blog, which the creator of the series informs fans of updates. The creator has learned that ABC will shuffle the timeslots for all three shows slated for the night. Here it is in her own words:
Season Two (of Men in Trees) will start airing Fridays at 9:00 pm (our launch slot) starting at the end of September or beginning of October. NOTE: ABC officially announced we were on at 8pm on Fridays, this has been changed to 9pm. We are now premiering in the 9:00pm time slot, after 20/20, which will move from 10pm to 8pm. So, don't get confused. 9:00 pm, Friday nights. We will be followed by new drama Women’s Murder Club at 10pm.

There you have it. I'm sure she is correct, but it won't be official until ABC actually announces it.