Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2008 > September > 09
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
9/9: Moby gets bitten by a snake
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE: A shot we took form Moby’s studios back in February, 2008. Lots of irony here. CREDIT: Joey Ivansco/staff photo)
Country DJ Moby over the years has been in a motorcyle accident and bitten (literally) by a lion. Now he’s landed in a North Fulton hospital for a snakebite.
The “yeah baby!” host now heard on South 107, WNGC-FM and 92.5/The Bear thought it was wise Monday to try to catch a copperhead snake in his driveway. He did nab it but it also nipped him on the right hand forefinger, forcing him to get anti-venom treatment. “It big time swelled up,” he told me today, while still in the hospital. “It turned red and black and flesh sloughed off around the wound. It’s nastly!”
Moby was at Kicks from the early 1990s until 2002. He has been running his own syndicated radio operation the past two years and is on more than 10 stations.
Good news: Moby, whose real name is James Carney, may have lost a bit of his dignity but won’t lose his finger.
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9/9: A look at “Fringe,” big ratings for Cox and “Are You Smarter?”, MTV’s VMAs, Fox News
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
J.J. Abrams, maker of network TV’s best show “Lost,” has created what may be the most highly anticipated show this fall on TV, an “X Files”-style conspiracy sci-fi drama called “Fringe.” It airs tonight at 8 p.m.
This very pricey show is getting mostly positive reviews, although I have genuinely mixed feelings about it. I’m not thrilled by a couple of the main characters. Joshua Jackson (“Dawson’s Creek”), whose dad knows more about this “fringe” science than almost anybody, seems snarkily unlikable. Anna Torv, who plays FBI agent Olivia Dunham, is a bore, a personality cypher, though her work (and love) partner John Scott (Mark Valley) plays the stolid, handsome counterpoint well.
The opening scene is a thriller, with a plane found to contain disfigured corpses. Scott catches the quick-killing disease, though he’s not sick enough to die immediately. Naturally, Olivia races to find a cure for him. The middle portion includes some absurd ways for her to “talk” to Scott even though he’s in a coma-like state. Fortunately, there’s a cool twist at the end so there may be hope for the show.
Here’s what the Hollywood Reporter had to say, which I didn’t see at all:
What really makes “Fringe” so promising is that it is potentially reminiscent, in a small way, of the battle-of-the-sexes charm that once made “Moonlighting” the best hour of TV of its time.
And the New York Times was all raves.
And as pilots go, this one is sensational, an artful, suspenseful mix of horror, science fiction, layered conspiracies and extended car chases. “Fringe” sets out to stretch the boundaries of conventional network series.
AP practicallyi falls over itself in praise.
Based on its opener, “Fringe” does action, intrigue, mind-blowing science and horror-film ick. It even does humor and romance. What DOESN’T it do?
So tell us what you think once you see it tonight. Does it live up to all this hype or are you on the fence like me? Or did you really hate it?
-In ratings, after CNN dominated the Democratic National Convention a week earlier, Fox News took over for the Republican National Convention. The John McCain speech Sept. 4 drew 9.2 million viewers on Fox News while his vice president Sarah Palin drew almost as many on Sept. 3 at 9.03 million. CNN, in comparison, drew about 4.8 million both nights. And Fox News easily beat the broadcast networks.
-The MTV Video Music Awards had its best ratings in years Sunday, hyped by the Britney Spears appearance. It drew 8 million viewers, up from 7 million a year ago, which was up from 6 million in 2006.
-The “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” special last Friday featuring Georgia schools superintendent winning $1 million drew 8.4 million viewers, the most of any show that night. The “Stand Up to Cancer” special on three networks drew a combined 10 million viewers.
I’ll get some local ratings later.
-Check out Kevin Avery of the Fish and his workout regime..
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9/9: David Pollack is coming to 790/The Zone, a talk with Brandon Leak
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last week, I heard from a good source that former UGA football star and Cincinnati Bengel David Pollack was joining 790/The Zone on the heels of “Hometeam” Brandon Leak being let go.
I posted it, then spoke with Andrew Saltzman. He denied it so I pulled it off the site. But the cat was out of the bag. And my original source was more or less right. Saltzman said at the time we talked last Thursday, the deal with Pollack was still “touch and go.” They only finished signing the contract over the weekend.
So Pollack will be part of the Afternoon Saloon from 4 to 7 p.m. with Mike Bell and Chuck Oliver.
Leak said he has no animus toward his replacement Pollack. “I covered him while he was in school,” Leak said. “He’s been up to the station a few times. He’s been successful with everything he’s done. He’s a great guy and a class act.”
The Decatur native would like to stay in sports media in Atlanta and he’s gratified by the response from fans and friends after they heard he was booted last week. “I have received tons of emails,” he said. “My cel phone was drained twice with phone calls.”
Leak said he was told he was not let go for performance issues but was not told if financial problems led to his departure. “I think I was very fortunate,” he said. “The Atlanta community really needed someone who is passionate about teams in town. It was a dream come true to have that opportunity.”
Among his favorites to talk to include Arthur Blank and Rutherford Sydel of Atlanta Spirit. He namedropped Dominique Wilkins to Chipper Jones to John Smoltz. He got to play basketball at Smoltz’s home.
Keep in touch with “Hometeam” via his blog right here, updated at least weekly, he promises.
