Something Happened To A White Multi-Millionaire • So, Ben Silverman, the supposed "wunderkind" head of NBC, is leaving. Do you guys care about this? I can never tell if anyone cares about this (because probably no one should care about this). Genuine question. At what point does inside baseball become too inside? (I'm guessing when it becomes BORING INSIDE BASEBALL.)
Posted at 1:45 PM in Behind The Scenes
Tags: Ben Silverman | Hollywood | NBC | Sausage
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I only care because I fear Vulture will have no one to rag on. It's like when people thought the Daily Show would stop being funny when Bush left office.
NOSTALGIA!
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I care, Gabe!
Also Ben Silverman | Hollywood | NBC | Sausage
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I think it's a reference to liking the sausage but not seeing how it's made.
Or it's a mistake, whatevs.
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I don't know I'm starting to feel like sausage fits comfortably with the rest of the tags.
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Kelly gets it.
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I care more about your torrid love affair with Gwyneth Paltrow (or as you lovingly call her, Goopy Legs).
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LISTEN- This is important news, you guys. Ben Silverman is the man who WENT TO BAT for Friday Night Lights. Dude gets it. This is sad because a guy who understands what good things are is now leaving his position of power. The Panthers just lost a booster, dudes.
Never forget.
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Does that mean he was also responsible for 'Kath and Kim'?
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Fobody's Nerfect!
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He did NOT go to bat for FNL - he wanted to get rid of the show, and said as much last year:
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2008/02/ben-silverman-is-not-optimistic-about-friday-night-lights.php
The DirecTV deal was the only reason that FNL got a stay of execution:
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Why do you feel it necessary to point out that he is white, Gabe? Your racial obsession is tainting the taste of the delicious sausage.
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"Chief among these, and a project Mr. Silverman has personally supported, is the move of the NBC late-night star Jay Leno to a five-night-a-week primetime show."
I say good day to you, Ben Silverman. Good day!
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I doubt the Jay Leno Show is the reason he got canned, but when it was announced, I PRAYED it would be the final nail in his coffin.
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It doesn't seem like the average Videogum reader understands or cares about how the entertainment industry actually works, so I doubt that they care about executives, even ones as shallow and worthless as Silverman.
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Hence, Sausage. But I don't know what Gabe is talking about; who doesn't love BORING INSIDE BASEBALL??
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I was REALLY hoping for him to bring back American Gladiators for a 3rd iteration
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I was REALLY hoping for him to bring back American Gladiators for a 3rd iteration
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The prevailing wisdom seems to be that Silverman was the Saruman to Jeff Zucker's Sauron (what up, nerds!). I'll be exhuberant when Zucker leaves.
Silverman is kind of a mixed bag. His backing of FNL and a few of his statements about Chuck show that he recognizes quality. But the endless stream of crap he has put on the air, culminating with five nights of Leno, shows that he doesn't value it much.
I mean, I'm not an idiot. I get that networks are always going to put profit above "art." But there are people who believe quality tv will eventually make more money than shitty tv, and Silverman does not appear to be in that camp. Instead, he figured enough people swallowing stupid bullshit produced on the cheap would outweigh the long term benefits of finding the next X-files or E.R. (shit, it's hard to think of shows that were both good and successful! E.R. is admittedly a stretch on the former count.) Luckily for those who disagree with him, this strategy has not brought in money for NBC. Maybe the next guy will take more chances.
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I totally agree. Silverman definitely seemed to believe that he had found the edge of the lowest common denominator and was trying to build successes off of that. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the US remake of The Office, and if that was one of his few 'quality' shows, then GET HIM OUTTA THERE. I just hope they don't replace him with a new 'genius' with 86 more Law & Order franchises...
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The best part of this whole thing is that Nikki FInke is losing her shit because she didn't have the scoop: http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/behind-the-scenes-of-nbcus-lies-to-me-the-ben-silverman-experiment-ends-pt-4/
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Shouldn't someone be SAVING SILVERMAN?!
I'll see myself out, thanks.
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Seems I'm not alone.
I like the insider baseball hooey, but then I'm old enough to remember Spy inventing the form. :]
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