Boxed for Sale

Networks place their hopes — and a lot of cash — in crafting a nifty box set of screening tapes to catch the eye of those with Emmy-nomination votes. That strategy has done the job this year, especially for Home Box Office and A&E Network.

But sometimes all that does is give the programming package a little extra cachet when it shows up on Ebay.

It appears Emmy voters aren't even waiting until the statuettes are passed out Sept. 16. Network Emmy packages have already surfaced online.

But nobody's getting rich from selling them: Last time we checked, Horatio Hornblower
— A&E's multiple nominee —
had attracted a top bid of $38 for the DVD format; VHS versions were stalling at $9.99.

Even past-season Emmy packages have resurfaced. A 2000 Showtime pack with The Passion of Ayn Rand, Baby Dance
and That Championship Season
was offered at a starting bid of $7, with two Spin City
episode tapes thrown in as a sweetener.

A Captive Audience

Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp. scored an coup by negotiating to sponsor the press tent for this year's Emmy Awards. Bored scribes — dressed in black tie while corralled for hours in a circus tent outside of the actual awards venue — will be able to entertain themselves by playing with the company's Ultimate TV personal video recorder technology.

Maybe they won't be playing: Microsoft said the technology is supposed to be used by journalists to catch parts of the telecast they might miss while conducting interviews with the winners. Award recipients will also have the opportunity to use the technology to review their just-concluded speeches — presumably to quickly begin the mea culpas should they forget to thank their agent, manager or dog walker.

The software makers also convinced the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to allow it to allow a few voters to use it to vote in three major categories. Boxes are installed in the homes of Sean Hayes (Will & Grace), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) and James Cromwell, according to Microsoft.

So Long, Farewell

John Emra, a Washington-based flak for SBC Communications Inc., says he's leaving town for a new position with SBC in Connecticut. In a farewell e-mail to D.C. reporters last week, Emra couldn't resist inserting some pro-Baby Bell spin into his good-bye note.

"Sadly," he began, "I won't be here to see Tauzin-Dingell pass the House in September or to see broadband legislation passed in the Senate in coming months."

If the past is any evidence, there are a few more things Emra might miss. Our guess is those will include a Rose Garden signing ceremony and Federal Communications Commission implementation of the new law. He'll also miss FCC reconsideration of its rules; SBC's motion for stay of the FCC rules; the court's rejection of the stay; the court's decision to uphold the FCC's rules; SBC's motion for en banc
review; and the court's rejection of en banc
review. Then there's SBC's appeal to the Supreme Court; and the Supreme Court's denial of appeal.

In fact, Emra might need to return to Washington in a few years to help SBC seek repeal of the Tauzin-Dingell law.

Ace In Space

Nice to see the CableACEs are still remembered — even if it's only as a punch line.

In the upcoming (Sept. 8) 100th episode of Showtime's Stargate SG-1,
the galaxy-traveling heroes infiltrate a TV studio that's shooting the pilot episode of a lame sci-fi series that eerily resembles SG-1.

Self-referential humor abounds, including a wonderful "oh yeah" moment in which a character asks why she's able to pass through people or objects when she's "out of phase," but can still keep from falling through the floor.

Anyway, in the episode a clueless producer is confronted by the fact that a money-saving script change he wants makes no sense, scientifically. His response: "OK, show of hands. Who here has won a CableACE award?" End of argument.

Animating Breakfast

Kellogg USA is using its breakfast-cereal boxes to promote a Web site (www.BigPickBreakfast.com
) at which youngsters can play games, link to Cartoon Network's Cartoon Orbit site — and vote from now through October on which of eight Cartoon characters should be "the next cereal Kellogg's makes." Nominees range from Johnny Bravo
to Courage the Cowardly Dog.

Of the eight contenders, Dexter's Laboratory
led with 25 percent of the votes last Thursday, versus nearly 24.2 for Powerpuff Girls
(compared to their 24.5 percent/24.4 percent results last Monday).

Meanwhile, Ed, Edd & Eddy
and Courage the Cowardly Dog
were in a tight battle for third — 16.2 percent to almost 15.1 percent.

The winning character will have its own cereal on store shelves in the summer of 2002.

"I think it's too late" to get Samurai Jack
on the Kellogg's ballot, said Cartoon Network vice president of off-channel commerce Jamie Porges last week. But "internally we're geared up and we expect big things" in spin-off merchandise from the series, which got off to a strong start Aug. 10, he said.

Porges has been talking for months with several prospects in the interactive video game and publishing categories about expanding its stories and characters, but said most licensed merchandise wouldn't hit retail until 18 months from now.