NEW YORK -- With husband Arnold Schwarzenegger jumping into California's chaotic political arena, Maria Shriver is taking a leave of absence from her NBC News post for the duration of his campaigning before the Oct. 7 recall election of Gov. Gray Davis. A network spokeswoman said Shriver requested the leave to avoid any potential appearances of conflict of interest between her job as a correspondent and contributing anchor to Dateline and her new role as a political spouse. The spokeswoman said it was too soon to say what Shriver would do if Schwarzenegger wins the recall election. Shriver's most recent appearance on Dateline was June 17 with a report on a lawsuit against the makers of Botox. She joined NBC in 1986 and has worked as an anchor and correspondent on various network news shows. Schwarzenegger surprised observers in showbiz and politics Wednesday when he announced on NBC's The Tonight Show With Jay Leno that he would be a Republican candidate in the state's recall election. Schwarzenegger's entry into the race has heightened the national interest in the effort to oust Davis, a Democrat. Before joining NBC News, Shriver worked at CBS News as co-anchor of the CBS Morning News and as a Los Angeles-based reporter for the network. She got her start in journalism as a newswriter-producer at KYW-TV Philadelphia in the late 1970s.
The pilot pickup rumor mill went into overdrive Tuesday as industry insiders kept close tabs on projects emerging as hot contenders for NBC, which kicks off next week's parade of fall schedule unveilings in New York on Monday. Sources said the comedies looking good at the peacock include a pair of untitled projects from Carsey-Werner-Mandabach and NBC Studios -- one starring Saturday Night Live alumnus Tracy Morgan and the other featuring Whoopi Goldberg -- quite possibly for a Tuesday comedy block that would lead into Dateline. NBC Studios' John Larroquette-Christine Baranski starrer Happy Family also has strong pickup buzz, as do NBC Studios' Stuck in the Middle With You, featuring Annie Potts and Timothy Busfield as the heads of a typically harried middle-class family, and Coupling, a sexy ensemble comedy about six thirtysomething friends from NBC Studios and Reveille. On the drama side, Darren Star's dramedy Miss/Match, starring Alicia Silverstone as a high-end professional matchmaker, from 20th Century Fox and Imagine TV, continues to look like a shoo-in; sources said producers were already canvassing the town for writing staffers. Rob Lowe, late of The West Wing, looks like a strong contender to re-emerge as the star of 20th TV/Brad Grey TV's The Lyon's Den, an ensemble drama set at a tony New York law firm. NBC Studios/DreamWorks TV's untitled Las Vegas project with James Caan is also said to have solid shot at a time slot next season. Meanwhile, high-profile NBC projects that once had a lot of heat but seem to be cooling off include the Heather Locklear vehicle Once Around the Park. The pilot is said to have tested poorly, though one source said the network still hoped to redevelop the project or develop another property with Locklear. The Tom Selleck starrer Touch 'Em all McCall also appears to be dead. NBC reps stressed Tuesday that no formal pickup or scheduling decisions had been made on any pilot projects.
MSNBC has begun restructuring its primetime lineup three months after rolling out a new block of highly touted shows. The network has canceled the low-rated Ashleigh Banfield: On Location and replaced it at 10 p.m. with MSNBC Investigates, an investigative hour that now runs on weekends. MSNBC has also imported some talent from across the river at NBC News as Dateline executive editor Marc Rossenwasser will oversee the network's primetime block on what MSNBC emphasized was a "temporary" basis.
- 10/14/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.