Usa Network

Just when you thought bromance was dead, here comes "White Collar," a crime drama premiering on USA tonight that lifts the genre to a new and dazzling level. Sparkling, snappy, bursting with energy and good clean heist fun, the first episode of "White Collar" may, in fact, be the most perfect pilot to air in a long, long time. Sure, there are shameless echoes of "It Takes a Thief," the show that launched Robert Wagner's television career, but who cares? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and "White Collar's" creator, Jeff Easton, promises only improvement, and with a pitch-perfect cast that comes together to create that cinematic Holy Grail: chemistry.

The first thing Emiliano Calemzuk did when he was tapped to become president of News Corp.'s Fox Television Studios was to move it out of its posh locale on the Fox lot in Century City -- and into offices neighboring an old gas station on Santa Monica Boulevard. "I wanted to get out of the 'lot mentality,' " explained Calemzuk, referring to the assistant-and-fresh-cut-flowers style of business that is pervasive among major Hollywood studios. "We're here to do things differently."

Bowing to recent pressure from a major pharmaceutical advertiser, USA Network took the highly unusual step of canceling the production of a television movie about two highly publicized drug-tampering deaths. The cable network abruptly pulled the plug on "Who Killed Sue Snow?" on Thanksgiving eve, five days before filming was to begin in Vancouver, Canada. The movie was based on the 1986 deaths of two Seattle-area residents who took cyanide-laced Excedrin.

USA Networks Inc., facing resistance from shareholders of Lycos Inc., is preparing to abandon its plan to purchase the nation's third-ranked Internet search service, executives close to the company confirmed Monday. The proposed $21.5-billion merger has been closely watched since it was announced in February because it is one of the first to challenge the highflying values of the Internet sector.

Both scenes are set in a steamy locker room. In one version, a woman drops her dress and exposes her naked body as she and her equally naked lover writhe on a bench. In the other version, the camera angle changes after she reaches for her dress; all that can be seen of the lovers is a grainy close-up of their faces. Same show, different TV channels.

USA Networks Inc.'s Ticketmaster, the largest U.S. ticket service company, won't have to pay antitrust damages to a group of consumers that claims the company uses its dominance of the business to jack up prices for popular concerts. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the consumers' appeal, leaving intact a lower court ruling that found they do not have the legal right to seek damages from the company.

Barry Diller's USA Networks Inc. continues to insist that it pulled the plug on the TV production of "Who Killed Sue Snow?" in the name of social responsibility. Denying it bowed to pressure from drug company advertisers, USA says a docudrama about two cyanide-laced-Excedrin deaths in 1986 could have inspired a copycat crime. As USA spokesman Ron Sato said: "We don't have to worry about a crazy individual finding the subject matter much too compelling for our comfort."

As if tailored to the Clinton era, the mantra for television executives trying to build their own bridge to the 21st century has become, "It's the programming, stupid." That may be the clearest message to emerge as the end of the television season nears--a year in which as many breakthrough shows came from distribution-challenged outlets like the WB network and cable's Comedy Central (the homes of "Dawson's Creek" and "South Park," respectively) as ABC, NBC and CBS. With about two-thirds of U.S.

Barry Diller's USA Networks Inc. and Chris-Craft Industries Inc. are in discussions to become partners in the UPN television network, according to sources close to the companies. UPN could be Diller's best chance for reentering the network business after losing out on both CBS and NBC, which he tried to buy almost two years ago. Diller is credited with building the Fox Television Network for Rupert Murdoch.

USA Network, cable's home to sitcom veterans "Duckman" and "Weird Science," introduces two new comedies this weekend that are neither ducky nor scientific. Unfortunately, they are merely dim and dumb. The first is "Lost on Earth," a mirthless half-hour starring Tim Conlon, a star of Fox's short-lived "Wild Oats." Conlon plays David Rudy, an Albuquerque TV reporter whose on-air gaffe with a chimpanzee (don't ask) results in a demotion leveled by his stern, ratings-conscious boss (Paul Gleason).

Media giants Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal will make the case for their merger before Congress on Thursday with hearings scheduled by both the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet and the Senate antitrust subcommittee. Also testifying will be opponents of the $30-billion deal, including consumer activists and media watchdogs. Brian Roberts and Jeff Zucker, chief executives of Comcast and NBC Universal, respectively, will probably face questions over whether the proposed marriage of the nation's biggest cable and broadband provider with an entertainment goliath puts too much control over content and distribution in the hands of one corporation.

The first thing Emiliano Calemzuk did when he was tapped to become president of News Corp.'s Fox Television Studios was to move it out of its posh locale on the Fox lot in Century City -- and into offices neighboring an old gas station on Santa Monica Boulevard. "I wanted to get out of the 'lot mentality,' " explained Calemzuk, referring to the assistant-and-fresh-cut-flowers style of business that is pervasive among major Hollywood studios. "We're here to do things differently."

Just when you thought bromance was dead, here comes "White Collar," a crime drama premiering on USA tonight that lifts the genre to a new and dazzling level. Sparkling, snappy, bursting with energy and good clean heist fun, the first episode of "White Collar" may, in fact, be the most perfect pilot to air in a long, long time. Sure, there are shameless echoes of "It Takes a Thief," the show that launched Robert Wagner's television career, but who cares? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and "White Collar's" creator, Jeff Easton, promises only improvement, and with a pitch-perfect cast that comes together to create that cinematic Holy Grail: chemistry.

USA Network: An article in Wednesday's Calendar section about USA Network executive Jeff Wachtel said that the show "Psych" is about a "Santa Barbara cop pretending to be a psychic." The character is not a police officer; he is a private investigator who works with the police.

Jeff Wachtel, who has overseen original programming for the USA Network since 2001, got a title boost Wednesday when he was named the network's president of original programming. The announcement was made by Bonnie Hammer, the top USA executive, promoted to president of NBC Universal's cable entertainment and cable studio last year. Wachtel, whose previous title was executive vice president of original programming, has overseen the launch of shows such as "Monk," "Psych" and "Burn Notice."

The most-watched Major League Baseball All-Star Game since 2002 enabled Fox Broadcasting to reign as the week's most-watched TV network, according to figures released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. Fox drew 14.54 million viewers for its coverage of the American League's 4-3, 15-inning victory over the National League July 15. The audience was the annual game's largest since 2002, when a 7-7 tie drew 14.65 million viewers. Baseball was also responsible for cable television's most-watched program of the week, as ESPN's coverage of the Home Run Derby July 14 drew 9.12 million viewers, the most in the 16 years it has been telecast.

NEW YORK -- When USA Network holds its annual upfront presentation here this evening to pitch advertisers on upcoming programming, the cable channel won't just be spotlighting its new development slate. Also on display: the triumphant four-year tenure of its president, Bonnie Hammer, who helped USA regain basic cable's top perch.

NBC's long-running crime procedural "Law & Order" got a reprieve Sunday as network executives announced that the drama would return for its 18th season in the fall, despite suffering a sharp ratings drop-off. Sister show "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" will also be back but is being shuttled to NBC Universal's cable network USA, which will now run the original episodes of the spinoff about the New York criminal justice system.

"Being a Gal in a Man's World" is a lighthearted business book that Bonnie Hammer says she would like to write. But at the moment, she's too busy acting it out for the testosterone crowd at General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal. Hammer runs two of the entertainment company's most profitable businesses, the USA Network and the Sci Fi cable channels. Together they account for nearly a third of NBC Universal's $3 billion in profit for 2005.