This weeks entertainment buzz…

Pilot season has begun and every one who has ever wanted to be in TV has descended on LA to get a job on a show– maybe even more than one– in hopes that their pilot will get picked up and put on a fall schedule. Some familiar TV creators have gotten pilot orders.  J.J. Abrams, Chuck Lorre, Bill Lawrence, and Joss Whedon are already hard at work.

Some “new” shows are actually reboots of old properties. CBS has ordered a pilot for a TV series based on “Beverly Hills Cop” from “The Shield” creator Shawn Ryan and comedian-actor Eddie Murphy. Comedian Brandon T. Jackson has been cast in the Axl Foley role. NBC has ordered a remake of the 1967 series “Ironside,” which will star Blair Underwood.

Super_Bowl_29_Vince_Lombardi_trophy_at_49ers_Family_Day_2009Super Bowl Sees High Ratings 

Sunday taught us that people will still down in front of the television set and watch live football the old fashioned way (beer, guacamole, real-time viewing)  even if the power goes out.  This year’s Super Bowl may have had fewer viewers than the last two years of “the big game” but it still reportedly brought  108.41 million people to the TV set making it the third most-watched television event ever. This is the latest confirmation that for those in the TV business who rely on ad sales to fund the rest of their programs, Football is vital to the bottom line.

But interestingly enough, the second most watched show of Sunday night was on a network that is not ad-supported. PBS’s Downton Abbey drew the second largest audience of the night.

Oh, have you seen Jimmy Fallon’s “Downton Sixby?” Vulture has a sneak peek of the latest episode, but here’s the first episode if you need to catch up:

Argo Keeps on Rollin’ben-affleck-argo

Ben Affleck and “Argo” picked up another award, this one from the Directors Guild of America. In his acceptance speech, Affleck said “I don’t think this makes me a real director, but I think it means I’m on my way.” This honor just adds to the speculation that maybe, just maybe, “Argo” will take home an Oscar.