American networks UPN & The WB merge

Two of the six commercial networks in the USA will be merging - UPN - owned by CBS, and The WB - owned by Warner Bros.

See: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11006886/

The new network will be called The CW (just as well it's not called The 'WC'!) Both UPN and The WB were launched in 1995 but neither network has been able to compete very well with the four big ones - ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. For you Star Trek fans, UPN was the network that screened Star Trek Voyager then Star Trek Enterprise (this merger is probably another reason why Enterprise was cancelled last year!)

UPN currently screens shows such as Smackdown, Everybody Hates Chris, Veronica Mars, and America's Next Top Model; meanwhile some of The WB's shows include 7th Heaven, Beauty and the Geek, Charmed, and Smallville. With the merger of these two networks it will be very interesting to see which shows survive, and I guess this is the only way that we'll feel the effect of the merger in New Zealand.

Utah bans Gay Cowboy movie

Some theatres in Utah have banned Brokeback Mountain – the Gay Cowboy Movie. Good to see that someone has sense! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10696088/

Comment from my friend: "Apparently Heath Ledger thinks it's as bad as racism. Seems these days that actors think they have to play a gay role to prove themselves."

And here’s more about it. I think good on these theatre owners for making a stand:
http://us.imdb.com/news/sb/2006-01-12/

And from a Utah newspaper: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635175642,00.html