Limbaugh Rushes Into a New Deal
For those of you who can’t envision an election season without Rush Limbaugh’s fair and balanced political perspective, fear not.
On the eve of The Rush Limbaugh Show’s 20th anniversary, the conservative talk-radio host has signed an estimated $400 million deal with Clear Channel Communications that will keep him on the air through 2016, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
According to Limbaugh, that hefty sum includes a $100 million signing bonus. His existing $225 million, nine-year contract was due to expire in 2009.
“First and foremost, I’m a businessman,” Limbaugh told the NY Times Magazine recently, when asked about the very favorable terms of the new agreement, which amounts to the most lucrative contract in radio since Howard Stern inked an unprecedented five-year, $500 million satellite deal (which factored in production, studio and staff costs).
“My first goal is to attract the largest possible audience, so I can charge confiscatory ad rates. I happen to have great entertainment skills, but that enables me to sell airtime.”
And buy a lot of stuff.
SAG: The Show Must Go On, For Now
The Screen Actors Guild has agreed to disagree for the moment.
As the clock on the union’s contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers continues to tick toward its 12:01 a.m. expiration date, SAG announced Monday night that it has agreed to let members continue to work under the terms of their existing deal until further notice.
The two sides are scheduled to reconvene Wednesday afternoon.
The AMPTP, which represents major studios and networks, issued a last-minute offer this evening reportedly worth an additional $250 million in compensation to working actors, but SAG executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen indicated that the stipulations aren’t quite up to snuff for them yet.
“This offer does not appear to address some key issues important to actors,” Allen said in a statement. “For example, the impact of foregoing residuals for all made-for-new-media productions is incalculable and would mean the beginning of the end of residuals.”
A spokeswoman for the alliance said that its reps will meet with SAG’s people on Wednesday to further discuss and explain the current offer, not to entertain counterproposals.
“In short, our final offer to SAG represents a final hope for avoiding further work stoppages and getting everyone back to work,” the AMPTP said in a statement.
The latest proposal was described as comparable to the tentative deal the AMPTP struck with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists last month.
The results of AFTRA’s vote on the new deal are expected in by July 8.
Jimmy Kimmel Lives On
Matt Damon’s gonna have to keep watching his back for a few more years.
ABC has reupped Jimmy Kimmel, opting to keep the viral video churner that is Jimmy Kimmel Live! on air through at least 2010.
Barring any Jay Leno network-jumping developments, the new deal means Kimmel will head up the battle of the late-night Jimmys when Jimmy Fallon takes over Conan O’Brien’s Late Show spot next year.
According to Variety, ABC’s decision for the early extension was due in part to the success of Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night, a series of six half-hour specials running in conjunction with the NBA Finals in which only the crème de la crème of guests are featuredmost recently, Barack Obama and David Cook.
The specials averaged roughly 3 million viewers, almost double that of his late-night audience.
Someone better break the news to Uncle Frank that retirement just got a little further away.
New 90210 Goes Old School
The hallowed halls of West Beverly High will once again be alive with the sound of drama.
The CW network confirmed Tuesday that the scholarly sequences in its upcoming 90210 redo will be filmed at Torrance High School, the very same campus where Brenda, Brandon and Kelly spent their formative years.
Shooting on the pilot is set to begin in June. And whether it’s awesome or not, the CW has already ordered up 13 episodes of the prime-time soap for this fall.
The Torrance Unified School District Board of Education is expected to give its OK to the new deal at a meeting scheduled for June 16.