OSCAR TELECAST TO FACE NBA ALL-STAR GAME

The Academy Awards telecast may find it exceedingly difficult this year to retain its position as the second-most-watched telecast of the year after the Super Bowl. Orlando Sentinel columnist Hal Boedeker points out that the awards telecast will not get the free ride that it normally gets each year, since it will face TNT’s coverage […]

GRAMMYS BEAT SUPER BOWL — ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK

When it comes to social media postings. the Super Bowl takes a backseat to the Grammy Awards. In a joint news release on Monday, the Recording Academy and CBS Interactive said that the awards telecast set a new social TV record with more than 13 million online comments. “The interplay between Twitter, Facebook and Grammy […]

GRAMMYS TELECAST MOST WATCHED SINCE 1984

With news of the death of Whitney Houston overwhelming broadcast and cable newscasts over the weekend, many of them mentioning that producers of the Grammy awards were “scrambling” to come up with a fitting tribute to her, it was inevitable that the awards show would pull big ratings. And they did. After last year’s telecast, […]

GRAMMY PRODUCER JOHN COSSETTE DEAD AT 54

Grammy awards producer John Cossette died Tuesday at age 54, barely a year and a half after the death of his father, Pierre Cossette, who created the awards show and was its original producer. The cause of death was not disclosed. John Cossette Productions had also produced awards specials for BET as well as the […]

JAMES BOND COMPOSER JOHN BARRY DEAD AT 77

British composer-conductor John Barry, best known for creating the theme and soundtracks for the early James Bond movies, has died in London at age 77. The BBC said that Barry had been stricken by a heart attack. During his career, Barry won five Oscars (Born Free — score and song — The Lion in Winter, […]