Actually, it’s not a complete time suck, especially if you’re a student (real or pretend) of television, culture and media. It’s extremely informative and educational. They don’t cover this kind of in-depth stuff on those entertainment shows.

In advance of the 61st Annual Emmy Awards, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation has launched a web site called Archive of American Television.

Oh my heavens the interviews: Steve Allen describes the birth of “Tonight,” Isabel Sanford talks about her path from theater to “The Jeffersons” and literally hundreds more. Also titled “Emmy TV Legends”, this web site’s interviews can be searched by people, show, profession or topic.

I find this stuff fascinating so if you’re looking for me and I’m not immediately found, that’s where I might be. Join me in the office and let’s watch some REALLY good television…on the web!

Tags: commentary, tv by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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As noted here on July 21st, the voice actors from the Fox TV show Futurama were in a bit of a battle with the studio about their contracts. So much so that 20th Century Fox TV put out an open casting call through voice over agents and voicebank to recast the roles in a ploy to reign in the actors.

Over two weeks past since the initial audition requests so I don’t think it made an impact in negotiations (especially after Futurama fans got wind of it and fans of animation hold dear their voice actors).

It was announced that as of July 31, 2009 (yesterday), all the Futurama voice actors re-signed (not resigned – that would be bad). Terms were not disclosed.

I can’t help but imagine that first day back will be a bit tense even though I have no way of knowing. Professionalism will prevail, I’m sure.

I would like to commend my fellow voice over professionals who like me ignored the audition requests from the studio. It’s nice to see voice actors will not stomp on the backs of those actors not really un-hired to advance their own careers, seeing instead how they themselves would want to be treated if they were the ones in negotiations with a studio.

Further, I would like to commend those voice agents who did NOT further the 20th Century Fox TV cause by issuing the studio’s call for auditions to their rosters. One of my agents did forward the Fox audition to his roster only to pull it back with apologies after learning the story behind the auditions. Hey, if you realize you’ve made a mistake, fix it and apologize, as this agent did, I’ll respect you even more….so will the industry.

For what its worth, thanks!

Tags: animation, commentary, tv by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I think The Cleveland Show is the first official spin-off from Emmy nominated Family Guy. As part of their promotion for the new show, they produced a quick vid on some of the show’s recording sessions with star Mike Henry.

Tags: animation, commentary, tv, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I’ll admit that I don’t watch a ton of TV. I don’t have time with the kids and there isn’t much that catches my fancy. There’s nothing wrong with people who do watch TV, it’s just a current lifestyle thing I guess.

But Sunday night the Discovery Channel was running a bunch of episodes of Cronkite Remembers episodes that I came across. It was very enjoyable.

But while watching the shows, I happened upon this network promo for Discovery which I see has been running for a while (me, again, always late to the party). I just thought it was brilliant.

It reminded me of the kind of smart, memorable network promos I haven’t seen since ABC-TV ran the “We’re the One” promos in the 70’s (featuring Ernie Anderson) and NBC ran the “Come Home” promos in the 80’s.

Maybe I’m still all about the jingle! Anyway, if you haven’t seen it, I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Tags: branding, commentary, marketing, tv by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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There are those, sometimes myself included, who wonder if any event on television can ever capture the imagination anymore.

Sporting events? Maybe for a day like the Super Bowl – but when you think about it, it is just another football game with some extra sweet frosting surrounding it.

Inaugurations? Funerals, maybe.

But visually the sight of Paul McCartney playing live during a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman ON THE MARQUEE of the Ed Sullivan Theatre (the theatre where he first played in America as a Beatle on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964) was stunning.

It was impactful.

Watch the thousands of people lining Broadway and the side streets…as far as the eye could see. Office workers and people hanging out windows to listen. The TODAY show may try but it’s not the same.

To consider the history that happened there in 1964 and everything that transpired for McCartney, the Beatles and the world since then was amazing.

That’s what television CAN do when it’s not doling out crap about some pseudo celebrity or chasing “real-life” stories.

If you’re a true broadcaster at heart, if you get the history that surrounds our medium, this was great television.

This is why David Letterman is the king of late night and, since Carson retired, always has been. They both can be called comedians and entertainers but they are broadcasters first.

True broadcasters can make great television.

P.S. 7.17.09- Sometimes when you do make great television, EVERYBODY notices. Congrats, Dave!

Tags: CBS Television Network, commentary, tv, video by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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It is possible that maybe no one else but me finds fascinating the stories of how some famous logos were born. Further, it is possible that people would disagree with me about what constitutes a famous logo.

Well, it’s my blog and I’ll logo-verse (I call copyright on that and all iterations) if I want to!

Music Television International has deemed sacred the original black and white MTV logo so that’s the only version of the logo they will use in their on-air identity (you know, until they create ANOTHER on-air identity)

But I never knew the story behind the original logo’s creation.

Courtesy of Creative Review via Brand New here’s the scoop:

Working with John Lack, the executive vice president of Warner Satellite Entertainment Company (WASEC), Robert Pittman, a successful radio programmer, helped establish a groundbreaking cable television channel: MTV, the music channel. Fred Seibert, a former jazz record producer and radio station promotion coordinator, was hired by Pittman to oversee the identity of the channel. Seibert turned to his lifelong friend Frank Olinsky, who had just established Manhattan Design with two partners, Pat Gorman and Patty Rogoff, to create the logo. The process was remarkably collaborative: Rogoff first drew the big M and worked with Gorman to determine its perspective; then Gorman suggested a pointy TV to its side, which Olinsky took and spray-painted it. Meanwhile, the M was subjected to productive tomfoolery, with the partners rendering it in bricks, polka dots, and zebra stripes, and suggesting the logo could be all these things.

Seibert presented the mutating logo to Pittman and Lack, and met resistance to both the solution and the firm behind it. Seibert was asked to hire a big-name designer like Push Pin Studios or Lou Dorfsman to do the logo. He did, but as the process extended and time became a problem, Manhattan Design’s was approved. Seibert next focused on the station identifications for broadcast, which Pittman equaled to radio jingles, instantly recognizable and memorable. The first pool of collaborators comprised production houses like Broadcast Arts, Colossal Pictures, and Perpetual Motion Pictures, who created surreal ten-second animations that gave life to the MTV logo. For MTV’s top-of-the-hour identification, illustrator Candy Kugel at Perpetual took the still images of Neil Armstrong’s moon landing (available in the public domain) and colorized the MTV logo on top of the American flag. On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m., to the unmistakable sound of MTV’s guitar riff, this image launched a new generation of viewers, artists, designers, and citizens.
— From our own Graphic Design, Referenced

Tags: advertising, branding, commentary, logo design, marketing, tv by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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