or


[10/31/05 - 12:00 AM]
HBO Concludes Exclusive Two-Year Television Deal with "Six Feet Under" Creator Alan Ball

[via press release from HBO]

HBO Concludes Exclusive Two-Year Television Deal with �Six Feet Under� Creator Alan Ball

October 31, 2005

HBO has concluded an exclusive two-year television deal with �Six Feet Under� creator Alan Ball to develop and produce original programming for the network, it was announced today by Carolyn Strauss, president, HBO Entertainment. Ball�s first project under the agreement will be an hour-long series based on the popular �Southern Vampire� books of Charlaine Harris.

�HBO and Alan Ball are battle-tested, a perfect creative fit,� noted Strauss. �His new show promises to be every bit as original and provocative as �Six Feet Under,� which was a landmark series for the network.�

�I'm thrilled to be working with HBO again,� said Ball. �I picked up �Dead Until Dark,� the first book of the �Southern Vampire� series, on impulse and could not put it down. The same was true of the remaining books. Charlaine Harris has created a rich world filled with unique characters, a world that's as terrifying as it is hilarious, as well as sexy, generous and profound. I'm humbled she put her trust in me and I look forward to bringing her vision to television.�

Ball will executive produce the project, as well as write and direct the pilot, with other talent to be announced as it is confirmed. The series will take place in the rural South, at a time when vampires have made their existence known to the world following the Japanese development of synthetic blood.

Created and executive produced by Ball, �Six Feet Under� completed its fifth and final season on HBO last August. The series recently received five Emmy� nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series; at the 2002 Emmys�, SIX FEET UNDER won six awards, including Directing for a Drama Series (Alan Ball), and received another Emmy� in 2003. In 2004, the series received a Golden Globe in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series � Drama (Frances Conroy); in 2002, the show won two Golden Globes, for Best Television Series � Drama, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (Rachel Griffiths).

Ball also received the Best Original Screenplay Oscar� for �American Beauty.�

Academy Award� and Oscar� are registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.





  [october 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· SIX FEET UNDER (HBO)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)





[02/09/25 - 10:10 AM]
ESPN NBA Schedule Update: New-Look Los Angeles Lakers Host Utah Jazz on February 10 in Luka Doncic's Expected Lakers Debut
On Monday, February 10, the Utah Jazz and Lauri Markkanen will visit the Los Angeles Lakers and newly-acquired star Luka Doncic in his expected Lakers debut at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+ and Disney+.

[02/07/25 - 11:06 PM]
Development Update: Week of February 3-7
Updates include: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" revival nears pilot order at Hulu; Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin to star Apple's "For All Mankind" spin-off; and "How to Die Alone," "Hysteria!" and "The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh" among the latest cancellations.

[02/07/25 - 01:13 PM]
ABC Claims Top 5 Shows Among Adults 18-49 in Cross-Platform Broadcast Series Rankings
Driven by stellar streaming viewership on Hulu and Disney+, three ABC titles more than triple their seven-day linear averages, including "High Potential" (+297%), "Abbott Elementary" (+270%) and "Shifting Gears" (+242%).

[02/07/25 - 01:01 PM]
NBC Celebrates the Legacy of "Saturday Night Live" on Feb. 15 with the First-Ever "SNL" Telecast Airing at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT
Plus: an encore of the critically acclaimed documentary "Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music" will start the night at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

[02/07/25 - 01:00 PM]
Video: "Between Walls" - Official Trailer - Hulu
Marga (Aislinn Derbez) and Martín (Christian Vazquez) happen to meet on a dating app, unaware they are neighbors.

[02/07/25 - 12:01 PM]
NFL Slimetime Presents Nickelodeon's Game Changers: Brand-New Special for Kids & Families Debuts Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 8:00 P.M. (ET/PT) in Honor of Black History Month
Leading into the special, Nickelodeon will premiere a brand-new episode of Tyler Perry's Young Dylan titled "Red Tails," at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

[02/07/25 - 10:08 AM]
CBS Wins Thursday Night with Top 4 Programs of the Night, Up from Its Thursday Season Average
"Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" (8:00-8:30 PM) was the #1 program of the night delivering 6.54 million viewers.

[02/07/25 - 10:04 AM]
All-New Season of "Naked and Afraid" Premieres on Sunday, March 9 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
From the sweltering jungles in the Philippines to the rugged bluffs of the American Midwest, each episode of the new season presents unique environments, unprecedented obstacles and history-making duos as they are brought together with no water, no food and no clothes.

[02/07/25 - 10:02 AM]
FX's "English Teacher" Renewed for Season Two
The show's first season has received three Critics Choice Awards nominations, including Best Comedy Series, and four nominations for the Film Independent Spirit Awards, including Best New Scripted Series.

[02/07/25 - 09:32 AM]
Starz Partners with Verizon to Include 1 Year Subscription for Eligible Customers in New Home Internet Offer
This offer is for new customers in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC markets who order Fios 1 Gig or 2 Gig Home Internet or for customers in the Atlanta market who order 5G Home Plus.

[02/07/25 - 09:10 AM]
CBS "Hollywood Squares" Is the Season's #1 New Unscripted Series Reaching Nearly 24 Million Unique Viewers
The show is televisions #1 new unscripted series this season averaging 5.40 million viewers in primetime alone.

[02/07/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - "Chris Distefano: It's Just Unfortunate"
Chris Distefano is trying to be the best father he can be but nowadays, words speak louder than actions - so Chris is acting with the right intentions, but not always the right moves.

[02/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Animated Academy Award Nominee "Flow" Begins Streaming Exclusively on Max February 14
A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, "Flow" follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood.

[02/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: "Winner" - Official Trailer - Hulu
Based on the true story, the ambitious but eccentric Reality Winner (Emilia Jones) finds herself in the middle of a political scandal when she becomes a surprising NSA whistleblower.

[02/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Orders New Unscripted High School Series "Sweethearts" and Releases Trailer
"Sweethearts" follows the lives of six teenage couples in Charleston, South Carolina, as they navigate the end of high school and their final summer together as a couple, before heading off to college.