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Does he sound a little exasperated?
Author: Bev Vincent
Dear Kingdom Hospital Viewers,
ABC may understand what they are doing with the schedule for Kingdom Hospital; I do not. All I can tell you for sure is that we will be telecasting new episodes 6-13 starting next Thursday, April 8th at 9 E/PT, 8 CT (check your local listings).
Best wishes,
Stephen King
Author: IT
Yeah, he does sound a tad annoyed. When I first read this news, I was too. Though the 10 pm time slot made it difficult to stay awake, the Wednesday was a great night. Nothing else was competing with it. (well at least for me) Thursday they are stupidly putting it up against CSI, and that show is extremely stong and popular now.
I can't see ABC's thinking in this. A lot of people I know that watch it, were NOT aware of the day and time change. I hope I'm being unneccesarily gloomy, but I can see the show going kapow with this change. The only saving grace is that CSI, SHOULD be going into reruns soon, and that it's not so late.
Author: Bev Vincent
From http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/181302p-157321c.html
Scaremaster Stephen King is horrified that ABC, the beleaguered fourth-place television network, has rescheduled “Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital” to Thursday nights - tantamount to burying it in the “show sematary.”
“We don't know what they're doing,” co-executive producer King told me yesterday in an exclusive interview from Maine. “It was originally on Wednesday nights, and now, starting this week, it's on Thursday night at 9 o'clock. That's a tough time slot - against 'CSI' on CBS and 'The Apprentice' on NBC. It's kind of like where shows go to die.”
“Kingdom Hospital,” which was adapted by King from a Danish series, is a now a major candidate for cancellation.
King complained that ABC execs - under fire from their corporate parents at Disney for poor prime-time ratings - have not lived up to their promises concerning the series.
“They told us they were going to double-schedule it - show each episode twice a week - and then they didn't do it,” King said. “They wouldn't put any money into advertising. Finally, I sort of pushed them into it by saying I would put my own money into advertising.”
An ABC Entertainment rep didn't return my phone call yesterday.
The fabulously wealthy literary mogul, who described himself as “a working schmo,” said he and his partners own a one-third stake in the show - with the remaining two-thirds owned by Sony and ABC.
“They do a lot of on-air promotion on their own network, but that creates a self-fulfilling prophecy - which is not a good one,” King said. “ABC is the Detroit Tigers of networks. They don't have a lot going for them.”
Yet King has stuck with ABC since the mid-1980s, and said he rejected advice from his reps at Creative Artists Agency to shop “Kingdom Hospital” to other networks.
“I'm monogamous,” King said.
On his Web site, stephenking.com, some of King's fans are downright angry. “They have every right to be angry,” King told me.
A message posted there reads: “This is a great show. If the individuals at ABC can't get their heads out of their a-- to see that point, then you do not deserve to air this show at all. Release Mr. King from his contract with you so that he may have his vision shown on another network that would do justice to his work.”
Author: Bev Vincent
Somebody has started a petition. Don't know if it makes any difference, but I signed.
Author: Lin242
I signed too.
Now I have to figure out the delicate task of how I'm going to watch EVERYTHING tonight -- hmm. Let's see - CSI, The Apprentice, Kingdom Hospital, Ottawa Senators Hockey ALL on at 9:00 p.m...... I think it will be: watch Kingdom Hospital upstairs flipping to hockey in commercials for scores, tape CSI downstairs UNLESS CSI is a repeat (hope) and then I can watch Kingdom Hospital on the big tv and flip for hockey scores.
Do not mind me, I need to sort this out...
Lin
Dear Kingdom Hospital Viewers,
ABC may understand what they are doing with the schedule for Kingdom Hospital; I do not. All I can tell you for sure is that we will be telecasting new episodes 6-13 starting next Thursday, April 8th at 9 E/PT, 8 CT (check your local listings).
Best wishes,
Stephen King
Author: IT
Yeah, he does sound a tad annoyed. When I first read this news, I was too. Though the 10 pm time slot made it difficult to stay awake, the Wednesday was a great night. Nothing else was competing with it. (well at least for me) Thursday they are stupidly putting it up against CSI, and that show is extremely stong and popular now.
I can't see ABC's thinking in this. A lot of people I know that watch it, were NOT aware of the day and time change. I hope I'm being unneccesarily gloomy, but I can see the show going kapow with this change. The only saving grace is that CSI, SHOULD be going into reruns soon, and that it's not so late.
Author: Bev Vincent
From http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/181302p-157321c.html
Scaremaster Stephen King is horrified that ABC, the beleaguered fourth-place television network, has rescheduled “Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital” to Thursday nights - tantamount to burying it in the “show sematary.”
“We don't know what they're doing,” co-executive producer King told me yesterday in an exclusive interview from Maine. “It was originally on Wednesday nights, and now, starting this week, it's on Thursday night at 9 o'clock. That's a tough time slot - against 'CSI' on CBS and 'The Apprentice' on NBC. It's kind of like where shows go to die.”
“Kingdom Hospital,” which was adapted by King from a Danish series, is a now a major candidate for cancellation.
King complained that ABC execs - under fire from their corporate parents at Disney for poor prime-time ratings - have not lived up to their promises concerning the series.
“They told us they were going to double-schedule it - show each episode twice a week - and then they didn't do it,” King said. “They wouldn't put any money into advertising. Finally, I sort of pushed them into it by saying I would put my own money into advertising.”
An ABC Entertainment rep didn't return my phone call yesterday.
The fabulously wealthy literary mogul, who described himself as “a working schmo,” said he and his partners own a one-third stake in the show - with the remaining two-thirds owned by Sony and ABC.
“They do a lot of on-air promotion on their own network, but that creates a self-fulfilling prophecy - which is not a good one,” King said. “ABC is the Detroit Tigers of networks. They don't have a lot going for them.”
Yet King has stuck with ABC since the mid-1980s, and said he rejected advice from his reps at Creative Artists Agency to shop “Kingdom Hospital” to other networks.
“I'm monogamous,” King said.
On his Web site, stephenking.com, some of King's fans are downright angry. “They have every right to be angry,” King told me.
A message posted there reads: “This is a great show. If the individuals at ABC can't get their heads out of their a-- to see that point, then you do not deserve to air this show at all. Release Mr. King from his contract with you so that he may have his vision shown on another network that would do justice to his work.”
Author: Bev Vincent
Somebody has started a petition. Don't know if it makes any difference, but I signed.
Author: Lin242
I signed too.
Now I have to figure out the delicate task of how I'm going to watch EVERYTHING tonight -- hmm. Let's see - CSI, The Apprentice, Kingdom Hospital, Ottawa Senators Hockey ALL on at 9:00 p.m...... I think it will be: watch Kingdom Hospital upstairs flipping to hockey in commercials for scores, tape CSI downstairs UNLESS CSI is a repeat (hope) and then I can watch Kingdom Hospital on the big tv and flip for hockey scores. Do not mind me, I need to sort this out...
Lin
Comments
Well, nothing important ever happens during the first hour of a hockey game anyway!
I plan to watch CSI, tape Kingdom Hospital to watch tomorrow, ignore the Apprentice and wish we got hockey games on broadcast TV more often.
Author: newinside
I agree. It looks like there will be even less pretty soon. With the dropping ratings and the TV contract coming up soon I think that there is a good chance that next year (if there is hockey at all) or the year after there won't be anything but maybe the cup finals on broadcast TV.
p.s. I signed the petition, too. I doubt it will matter for anything, but it made me feel better.
Author: Rache4173
My name is there as well. I am also hoping that CSI is a repeat... but I think I'll end up taping Kingdom Hospital regardless. I've been tired lately, so the odds of me falling asleep are pretty good. ~_~
Author: Lin242
Bev and New, forgive my ignorance, but is cable really expensive in the US -- it just appears to me that cable is so widespread here, but seems to be kind of a luxury in the US. If we wished, we could add a special sports package on for hockey, football and the like, but we seem to get enough with our digital cable package.
Yes, as you can see the Apprentice doesn't figure into mine either, I'll find out who was fired on the first entertainment show I watch on the weekend or Monday.
Lin
Author: Bev Vincent
It’s probably about the same in both countries. For us it's a lifestyle choice -- we watch so little television that when we moved into our house eight years ago we never subscribed and have never really missed it. I could kill a lot of brain cells watching TV! I prefer to spend my time either writing or with the family. We rent videos on weekends, but my wife never watches TV. I don't think it's a coincidence that during the years before I was married, when I had cable in my apartment, I did no writing at all. None. Zilch.
I think we're a rarity. I'd bet there aren't many households down here without cable.
Author: Lin242
~0 no tv???? Just kidding.. I watched so little when my son was playing sports for 8 years, I'm making up for lost time, but I think being on sites like this balances it nicely, keeps my mind sharp.
Okay, I thought someone at SKBB had posted their price for cable and it seemed pretty similar. Do you mind if I ask what your wife's name is? You do not have to say if it's too personal. Steve and I rent movies every weekend -- tomorrow we have Scarface (I've never seen it!) and Night Flier (which I bought, our first SK, go fig), Saturday we will rent The Matrix: Revolutions.
Lin
Author: Bev Vincent
Mary Anne. Last weekend we watched “Lost in Translation” and a Spanish/Mexican film called Dust to Dust (original title Por la Libre). Both were great.
Author: Rache4173
My cable's about $45/month... and that's with several premium movie channels (we're pathetic). But, ironically, there's still those nights when NOTHING is on!
Now that the weather is really consistent, we'll probably spend most of our weekends and evenings outside. Of course, I say that and we'll get storms. %)
Author: Lin242
Bev, that's my middle name -- same spelling too.
Rache -- okay, that's the same, except ours is in Canadian dollars without premium movie channels, if we had them, it would probably be exact. We did have, then got rid of them, not enough good to watch. I was hung up on Emeril for awhile when we had the Food Network. BAM!!!
Lin
Just to make things clear, I wasn't complaining about hockey not being on broadcast TV because I don't have cable (I was watching the Avs on ESPN last night), but just because I think it is good for the game to get as much widespread coverage as possible. A lot of people in the US might like hockey but never get into it because they never see it.
Author: Lin242
Lin
Author: newinside
I think that the fundamental problem with the NHL is that they seem to want to put teams where they don't belong. There are teams in cities where they are simply a novelty (and at best the 4th most popular pro team around), and people only care about them if they do well. The league would be much better off putting teams in smaller city where people would actually care. I remember an article a few years back that compared the NHL to RC cola. RC will never compete with Pepsi and Coke. The thing is that they know that and don't try. They are third and are fine making a profit less than that of Pepsi and Coke. The NHL would be in much better shape if they didn't care about competing with the NFL, NBA and MLB.
Author: Bev Vincent
I've spent enough time in Japan to identify with some of the wacky and oddball situations westerners find themselves in over there. I guess that was part of the charm for me. But I really liked the story, too.
Author: newinside
I liked Lost in Translation, but I think it was really as a medium for some great acting. I really found myself not caring at all about the story, but just enjoying the performances.
Author: Lin242
New, good point -- given the number of city changes, that's so true. I'm really glad we have a team here again (way before our time when the Senators of old were Champions).
I thought Bill and Scarlett were tremendous in the film, it just left me feeling unfulfilled. You guys know how curious I am -- not knowing what he whispered almost drove me mad. Note: curious, NOT nosy, curious.....
Lin
Author: Bev Vincent
I think Bill Murray is like Jim Carrey and Robin Williams in that he can really show his acting chops when he has a director who reins him in and doesn't let him go overboard. His one overboard-ish moment was on the exercise machine, and that was funny as well as slapstick.
Did you watch the “making of” feature? One of the best I've seen and it really captured the low-budget on-a-shoestring labor of love quality of production.
Author: Lin242
True Bev, one just has to think of The Truman Show to know that's true, and Good Will Hunting for Robin (at least in my books). LOVED the exercise machine -- Bill made me want to weep in this movie, I can't explain it. When his wife was faxing all that stuff, it was very poignant/funny. I still watch Ghostbusters every chance I get. My fave scene is when Bill is nonchalantly hopping around the square waiting for Sigourney Weaver.
To answer your question, we saw a little of the extras, but not enough, obviously.
Lin
Author: Lisa Marie
http://www.PetitionPetition.com/cgi/petition.cgi?id=6865
Please take a second and visit and sign our petition to show ABC how we want to keep watching KH.
Thank you!
Author: Darth Pookie
Even though he was his usual manic self in this one, I loved The Fisher King with Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges.
Author: Lin242
Will report my thoughts on Kingdom Hospital episode elsewhere when I'm back...
DarthPookie -- did you ever see my question as to whether you had seen Victor/Victoria??
I loved The Fisher King also, but there is one scene in that movie (the restaurant primarily) that haunts me. Robin's expression was brilliant, but haunting.
Lin
However, I may be firmly the only one on this message board who feels this way, but I am just going to go ahead and say it.
I think that KH is just awful. I thought that the initial episode was kind of entertaining.
But it's to the point where there's literally nothing that I find entertaining, engaging, or compelling about anything in the subsuquent episodes.
Honestly, there's little doubt in my mind why there was such a fallout in ratings (and this was before ABC started meddling with the scheduling.)
Part of me is bothered by this, because I am a fan of King's writing. I thought that King just had some bad luck when he was involved in writing, directing, producing (witness "Maximum Overdrive" or "Sleepwalkers") but now that I see him do stuff like "The Shining" or KH, I am just utterly turned off.
I think it damages the reputation of his name and his literature. I think people are looking for something close to the same level of quality that his literature delivers. I know I am one of those people, and I can't tell you how many times I've been dissapointed by Stephen's direct involvement in Hollywood productions. (I thought that "The Stand" was fairly good, but that seems like an anomaly)
I'm not necissarily speaking to that often-used word "faithfulness". I'm more speaking to just producing a well-made film. Not academy quality, but something with a fair amount of quality to it. Not something like KH.
Ok, Maximum Overdrive is something that he wasnt good at, and same with Sleepwalkers. Tho with Kingdom hospital (correct me please if i am wrong) he has had no input with direction of filming.
I Think this is really good. You very RARELY will be a Stephen Spielberg in filming on the first run or 2. Plus make a film has ALOT more in hand than just making it up in your head. Dont diss what it has until you see everything that it has to offer. If you cant, i am sorry.
You would be some of the people that Stephen hasnt hit this time round. Remember that Start Trek never hit off first time round either and then second time round it went cult status!
OK this is my first post in this section of the forum as i wanted to watch a few episodes first to make my mind up on how it was going to be like. Remember, in UK we are getting things ALOT further behind what you are getting. TBH i honestly cant remember what episode we are on.
But back to what was orgionally posted, not everything is appealing to what we first think of it.
Granted, it's not on a par with Dateline or 60 Minutes, but I like it.
It's campy. It's tongue in cheek. It's full of inside jokes and inuendo.
But then, not everyone can enjoy or like the same things.
Me??? Keep those reality shows away from me!!!! I HATE them!
But Kingdom Hospital? This I like! ;D
Star Trek would've been renewed year in and year out had the network known what kind of demographics the show had been getting. Ironically enough, demographics didn't play into network ratings until right after Trek was cancelled.
But you are right, making a film has a lot more to do with actually making it than dreaming it up. There's a difference between what you actually envision, versus what shows up on screen. Unfortunately, I am only concerned with what shows up on screen (if you're talking about a movie) not the intentions of the creators.
Realistically speaking - I'm not expecting Steven Spielberg quality productions. However, it would be nice to have something a little bit above the mid-point between the quality of "Sleepwalkers" and whichever film you want to mention of Spielberg's.
Stephen is producing and doing most (or at least a good chunk) of the writing chores on KH. Because he's producing & writing (a producer is usually working closely with the director anyway) I would say that he has a heavy hand in KH, also taking into consideration that it was his idea to create it - or remake it, if you will.
Sorry, but my feelings on KH aren't going to change with repeated viewings, or a long pause to consider something deeper that I may have missed the first time around (I think that's what you're getting at).
I'm glad you're getting something out of it.
It's like: Am I suppose to take this show seriously? Or not? Is it a comedy?
I get the impression that it's suppse to kind of give me the chills (the "Riget" miniseries that King based KH on actually did that to me) but it doesn't. It does feel campy and tounge-in-cheek (as well as other things) which seems to be entirely innapropriate.
Perhaps King meant it to be a comedy, or nothing to be taken seriously. But, then again, that kind of supports my original post on this. King's Hollywood output rarely is taken seriously. Maybe this is an outlet for his comedic side. I certainly wish that he would just be honest about it so that I can watch well-made campy and tounge-in-cheek material.
Sure, it is probably better than reality t.v., but then again it's hard to get worse than reality t.v.
A guilty pleasure of mine.