“The Future of News,” a new 10-part television series produced by the Newseum in Washington, D.C., debuts this month on American Public Television

In the first episode of “The Future of News,” journalist Ann Curry of NBC News and new media pioneer Charles Sennott of online international news agency GlobalPost discuss how new forms of social media and the Internet have changed the way international news is covered, produced and reported.

In conjunction with the series premiere, the Newseum has launched a “Future of News” blog at www.newseumfutureofnews.com, where visitors are encouraged to participate in critical discussions and spirited debates on the state of today’s news and the significance of tomorrow’s technology.

NEW YORK, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — NBC’s failure to bargain fairly with the union that represents nearly 3,000 of the network’s producers, writers and technicians has put the lighting of the world’s most famous Christmas tree at serious risk. In an attempt to save the annual “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special, the union launched a new website today - http://NBCStoleChristmas.com – that highlights the “Grinch” within NBC.

UPDATE -

As of 4pm today – the union has agreed to set aside their demands and the tree lighting will proceed as scheduled.  Happy Christmas everyone!

If you can’t find me on location, in a studio, or supervising an edit session, the next place to look would be my cozy living room reading chair.  In truth, I don’t get to spend as much time in that chair as I would like – but I still manage to indulge my reading passion every chance I get.  I used to carry at least three books in my purse, along with the required lipstick, blush brush the size of a tree trunk, pens, scotch tape, Kleenex,  wallet,  chocolates, and anything else I might need should I find myself stranded on the subway.  But the weight of it all began to throw my back out of wack as though I’d been dancing at a disco revival hall all night long.  The only solution was an e-reader.  Hundreds of books, all in one place, with the ability to pick and choose if the current book I was reading wasn’t quite capturing my attention.

Amazon’s Kindle used to be the only game in town – now, we have choices, and with choices come questions. What to buy?  Each e-reader offers different options.  If you want to know what’s best for you then Wired.com has the answers.  They’ve created an e-reader guide just in time for the holidays.

Mad Men’s makeup department head, Debbie Zoller talks about the look for the series.

The newly branded TeenNick (formerly The N), has started production on an original half-hour dramedy Gigantic.  Shot at various locations around Los Angeles, Gigantic is about the life of being a Hollywood “it” kid. Considering the TeenNick audience is surrounded by pop culture, I would imagine this show will hit the mark. Nickelodeon is clearly on board with this show with a 20 episode order.

Set to premiere in 2010, the series stars Meryl Streep’s 23-year-old daughter, Grace Gummer (not exactly coming of age) and Joe Mantegna’s daughter, Gia.  It also marks the first production from the new company Grady Twins formed by executive producers Marti Noxon’s (Buffy theVampire Slayer, Grey’s Anatomy, Mad Men, Point Pleasant) and Dawn Parouse Olmstead (Prison Break, Point Pleasant, Tru Calling) .  Also on board as executive producers are Reveille’s Carolyn Bernstein and Todd Cohen.  Gigantic was first brought to the network by the brother and sister team of Ben and Debby Wolfinsohn.

You may be one of the people who has made the video “Finding Masculine Halloween Costumes For Your Effeminate Son” popular on YouTube. Or you, like thousands of others, may have watched “HOT REPORTER GETS HUMPED!! “ while strolling through the various offerings, but if YouTube asked you to pay to view these videos would you hit the play button?  I think not.  And I think that’s why the cry heard ‘round the internet this week was so deafening when Chase Carey, the Deputy Chairman of News. Corp — co-owners of Hulu – said they would be charging users  in 2010. I’m not comparing Hulu to YouTube in terms of offerings/content, but it is yet another destination on the  web that has made us accustomed to free on-line content; so much so that we’re declaring it an ‘inalienable right’ – otherwise why all the clamor?

In truth very few things are free. For example, there is no free TV.  If you want reception you at least have to pay for basic cable.  It you want original programming and movies with no commercial interruption you have to pay for a premium service. The same is true to varying degrees with the internet. We’re all paying, whether it’s for basic cable, an internet connection, WiFi, or a mobile device.  We pay because we want to be connected and we want to be entertained.

Hulu won’t be offering “The Cat That Licked Himself” for money or for free – that’s not their style.  Instead, they’ll continue to offer broadcast shows and movies for free, in addition, they’ll offer a premium service that you can choose to pay for or not.  The question I ask is will they take internet television to the next level the way premium cable channels have boosted cable?

When HBO first started their pay service it seemed like you could watch one of two things; the movie “The Jazz Singer” starring Neil Diamond, or live ball room dancing from a studio in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  It wasn’t much; in fact it was ridiculous to charge for it, but we purchased it in order to get cable reception.  Eventually premium cable gained subscribers by offering well scripted original programming you couldn’t find anywhere else.  Sex and the City,The Sopranos, Weeds, Dexter, The Tudors and Entourage to name a few.

Hulu already has an audience, and if they can deliver something new – they can capture the market.  Perhaps they’ll offer niche programming channels that are interactive or a new breed of branded web series.  The question isn’t whether they will morph and change, the question is what will they morph into. Call it change, call it growth, heck – call it capitalism.  Whatever you call it, I see it as a good thing for those of us that enjoy being entertained.

So the question remains.  When content hubs like Hulu or Fancast  or TV.com do morph and provide us with original, interactive programming we can’t get anywhere else will you pay?  I ask myself the same question and the answer is yes.  But I’m posing the question to you – Would you pay for Hulu and what type of service would they have to provide in order for you to whip out your credit card?

Stop by Thursday, October 29th, for my interview with Executive Producers Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina – the talent behind VH1’s Scream Queen and CW’s Beauty and the Geek.  Get an inside look at the making of a Reality TV Show.

Obesity in America is an epidemic.  One in twenty-five children is obese.  We’re feeding our kids, high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.  Both chemicals are designed to give food a shelf life of six years – imagine what it’s doing to your insides.  Not that I don’t enjoy the occasional coke and large package of Twizzlers while I’m watching a movie. But the fact is, good nutrition is something that has to be taught, and I think NBC feels they’re the ones to give us the lesson.  Wasting no time, they’re capitalizing on this rapidly growing concern by picking up a Biggest Loser spinoff starring trainer Jillian Michaels. The network has ordered eight episodes of Losing It with Jillian Michaels, produced by Reveille and Empowered Media. The premise of the show is that Michaels will move in with families (with children ages nine and up) to change their diet and exercise habits.

Walgreens launched Health Corner TV today, a website featuring 1200 videos on health and wellness.  In addition to topics ranging from acne to heart disease they will also have celebrity  interviews. Interviews include Sally Field on osteoporosis, Suzanne Somers on anti-aging, Jamie Lee Curtis on gastrointestinal health and Patti Labelle on diabetes.