Whoops, you thought the MTV layoffs were going to be bad? Suckers: MTV's parent company Viacom just released an internal memo saying that 850 people, or 7% of their global force, is going to find themselves redundant in the "company-wide restructuring plan." That's one percent more, and 200 extra employees axed, than Time Inc.! Who said this recession couldn't get any worse?
Unfortunately, that doesn't just affect MTV, but all of those little stations like VH1, Comedy Central, Spike TV, and Nickelodeon. Just when we were starting to believe that comedy was going to survive an Obama administration.
The call is coming from inside the house
At some point in the coming weeks, TRL murderer MTV will let go a huge portion of its staff as parent Viacom goes the cost-cutting route. Now there are rumors floating at Gawker that VH1 might get in on the firing action.
And this just in to Jossip: Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and CMT will also see sizable firings as well. We're told a "360 degree" layoff strategy is in the works, with "around Christmas" cited as a timeline. [Photo: Webshots]
The dearth of diversity in television and movies is a constant topic of discussion, but one genre might not be getting the props it deserves for its casting practices. Perhaps prime-time network television should take its cues from youth programming on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, both of which have a history of casting kids of all hues and ethnicities. Take the red carpet for the premiere of the latest Cheetah Girls movie, for instance:
Wow! Is Nickelodeon finally returning to its glory days and giving adults a reason to watch TV with their kids? This hasn’t happened since The Adventures of Pete & Pete went away*.
It's always been hard to track toddler-thru-tween obsessions, given their nature to move from Sesame Street to Barney to some anime cartoon to Hannah Montana. That, and we're not 6.
But then Hannah/Miley Cyrus secured a seven-figure book deal, for a book that will be ghost written, and it's like, UGH, maybe these fads are important and we do have to start paying attention.
Look at Mary-Kate and Ashley; they're worth, like, 15 or 20 dollars.
And now there's the huge success of iCarly, a show about a group of tween girls who have webcams. CONTINUED »
Access Hollywood is giddy to announce they've got Project Runway winner Christian Siriano on blast to cover Nickelodeon's 2008 Kids' Choice Awards. He'll be on the red orange carpet handing out Fierce Fashion Awards and says, "I think it's fabulous that I'll be on the red carpet checking to see if anyone is a hot tranny mess. Watch out - you know I'll be fierce with my comments."
Adds supervising producer Ryan Patterson: "Christian IS fierce, fabulous and ferosh and he is a pop culture catchphrase machine. He also really knows fashion - he's a style stud who will standout on the carpet with his one-of-a-kind hairdo and electric personality and most importantly, he'll be able to spot out whose fashion is a 'hot mess' and whose fashion is 'fierce.'"
Adds Jossip: Nobody should speak like this.
• Uninterested in the young maternity demographic, Nickelodeon cancels Jamie Lynn Spears's show, Zoey 101.
• In the market for a a self-esteem boost? Check out these pictures of Ice-T's wife, Coco. CONTINUED »
Nickelodeon announces intentions to set junk food limitations for its television characters, according to new reports. In particular, the restrictions will apply to "use of its licensed characters on food packaging for products that do not meet certain health criteria."
In addition, Nickelodeon characters will also no longer be allowed to read fake newspapers other than those printed on recycled paper, drive non-Hybrid toon cars or purchase any/all ACME products until the company agrees to cease animal testing.
[Reuters]
Editorial Director
