Sony's Character Tracker

Looks like Sony wants viewers to engage with TV characters on a new level.

Sony Pictures Television filed a trademark application on July 25, 2007 to protect the phrase Character Tracker for "non-downloadable software for following the exploits of feature players of various television shows."

I found no other info about Character Tracker, and I received no reply to my request for additional information. You know what that means — I'm going to fill in the missing gaps myself with my best guesses.

Blogs are so passe. TV characters have been keeping blogs for a while now. As far back as Fall 2005, The Carver from "Nip/Tuck" and Barney from "How I Met Your Mother" wrote blogs (ABC News, Jan. 23, 2006). Now if a new TV character has a blog, it's just not newsworthy.

Even TV characters probably migrate to newer tools for social networking. Instead of keeping a blog, can you imagine if Ripley Holden of "Viva Laughlin" used Twitter during the first season? What if you could follow Ripley's movements between airings using Gawker Stalker?

If Sony can execute these ideas to provide a deeper viewer experience without affecting the flow of the TV show for casual viewers — just like the graphic novels for "Heroes" — then they may have a winner on their hands.

New Eps Online: July, Week 5

New series and seasons (full eps only) released online since 24 July 2007:

• The Adventures of Tintin (; Unbox): season 1
• Damages (FX; iTunes): current season (1)
• The Fashionista Diaries (SoapNet; iTunes): current season (1)
• Flipping Out (Bravo; iTunes): current season (1)
• General Hospital: Night Shift (SoapNet; iTunes): current season (1)
• Human Weapon (History; iTunes): current season (1)
• The Immortal (Syndicated; Akimbo): complete series
• Johnny Bravo (Cartoon Network; iTunes): season 4
• Mind Control with Derren Brown (SciFi; iTunes): current season (1)
• The Rock Life (VH1; iTunes): current season (1)
• Saving Grace (TNT; iTunes): current season (1)
• Short Circuitz (MTV; iTunes): season 1
• SOB: Socially Offensive Behavior (BET; iTunes): current season (1)
• Welcome to the Parker (Bravo; iTunes): current season (1)
• Who Wants to Be a Superhero? (SciFi; iTunes): current season (2)

Only Tiles Will Tell

About a year-and-a-half ago I discussed Hewlett-Packard's patent application for tiled images that simultaneously show multiple video streams on your TV screen. Each stream comes from a different input device — set-top box, VCR, DVD, DVR, PS2, computer.

Today I just shake my head in disgust because it took me so long to devise a tiny twist on that idea. What if you use the same setup but use the four images to simultaneously stream live video? I'm not talking picture-in-picture. Four small images. All the same size. All shown at the same time. Plus, this new navigation tool will use lower-res video.

Think about it.

You press the 'favorite' button on your remote and four video streams appear on your telly screen. These channels are the four channels you view most often. (Don't worry about programming your system with your own favorites. Your set-top box knows all.) The video stream in the upper left corner is highlighted since that's your fave channel. Want to highlight another channel? Just use the arrow buttons on your remote. Want to watch that channel? Just press the 'select' button. Or maybe you want to see the next four channels on your list of faves? Just press the 'next' button on your remote. Of course you can use the 'previous' button to return to your top four faves once you nagivate away.

Since the feature uses lower-res video it doesn't require the full bandwith of showing four high-res video streams. It might only require the bandwith of 1.5 streams.

With this setup you may even be able to avoid the black screen of torture. About three months ago I described my own ideas about ways to eliminate the black screen that appears when you change channels. My whole premise was that the set-top box needed to guess which channels to stream before you selected them and guess when you might use your remote before you pick it up.

Now we'll just combine these ideas.

Your set-top box always streams lower-res video for your four most favorite channels while you're watching a single channel full-screen and when you are about to pick up (or are already holding) your remote control.

• If you select one of those fave channels directly, your TV immediately shows the low-res video and the high-res video comes up within a second or two.
• If you press the 'favorite' button, all four low-res images appear in a mosaic. If you select any of these faves, then the low-res image goes full screen and is quickly followed by the high-res feed.

Once you're using mosaic navigation, the set-top box will stream up to twelve low-res vid streams — the four you're watching, the next four and the previous four (if you navigated away from the first screen). That way the video is immediately available whether you select a channel or navigate through the mosaic mode.

No more black screen and a more effective way of searching. Now we're getting somewhere.

NextDayTV

If you can't take TV with you, maybe you can watch it the next day.

Hewlett-Packard filed a trademark application on July 19, 2007 for nextdayTV. Here's a low-res image of the logo from that trademark app:


The word mark is pretty self-explanatory, but I was surprised by the range of goods and services that were specified in the filing:

• production and distribution of prerecorded video and audio performances;
• providing non-downloadable television programs via a video-on-demand service;
• DVD rental and subscription services;
• hosting the digital audio and video content of others for the purpose of enabling others to download the content on a pay-per-view basis.

Don't be surprised in a year or so if the HP media center on your laptop directly connects to a new HP media store. And don't be shocked if HP provides original content and exclusive repurposed content to grab your attention.

I expect quite a battle over the next few years as different companies try to get you to visit and download video from their sites. HP and other computer manufacturers will load special software for their own centers. Microsoft will direct you to their site automatically if you use Internet Explorer. Your portable video player will take you to the manufacturer's site or its partner's site.

Let the battle begin.

TakeTV

It's about time for memory makers to jump into the TV download market.

SanDisk Corporation filed a trademark application on July 18, 2007 for TakeTV for a wide variety of fields of use, including:

• computer hardware and software for viewing downloaded content;
• computer and software for transmitting downloaded content;
• hardware plug compatible with standard connectors that can carry video protected or pre-owned by users.

But SanDisk might not stop with its usual hardware solutions. That same trademark application protects TakeTV for "content download services for downloading content from websites, digital content kiosks, DVD stations."

SanDisk recently joined forces with Yahoo! for its Sansa Connect Wi-Fi MP3 player. Makes you wonder whether SanDisk will continue its relationship with Yahoo! and use an expanded Yahoo! TV to bring TakeTV to market for its video players.

Ep Title, Inc.

As I'm adding and verifying links for my next update for the Ep Vid Finder (and it's a big one by the way), I came across an ep with Destruction, Inc. for its title. I've seen this same ep so many times before since it's from the 1941 animated version of "Superman" at in2tv, but it never really caught my eye.

After many failed attempts to find a topic that was historically relevant — the anniversary of some event — and with enough interesting ep titles, I decided to run with Destruction, Inc.. I looked for other ep titles that ended with Inc. or Incorporated.

I found a ton of eps that simply referred to a character in the show. There's Cher, Inc. from "Clueless" and Jed, Inc. from "The Beverly Hillbillies" and, of course, Ralph Kramden, Inc. from "The Honeymooners." And many, many more. Those seemed too obvious; so I removed them.

Then there are a ton of documentaries, too. "Frontline" had Pentagon, Incorporated. "Made in America" has "Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc." I eliminated them also. Definitely too common for this list.

And here's the list of companies that remained in the business directory.

• Assassins, Inc. (''Bugs,'' 4/8/1995)
• Cannonball, Inc. (''Petticoat Junction,'' 10/18/1966)
• Crime, Inc. (''Startime,'' 1/19/1960)
• Death, Inc. (''Penn & Teller: Bullshit!,'' 8/5/2004)
• Destruction, Inc. (''Superman,'' 12/25/1942)
• Disappearing, Inc. (''Snooper and Blabber,'' )
• Fear, Inc. (''Big Town,'' 9/17/1953)
• Gossip, Incorporated (''My Three Sons,'' 3/16/1968)
• Immortality, Inc. (''Out of the Unknown'')
• Inspiration, Incorporated (''Everyman,'' 4/10/1977)
• Kicks, Incorporated (''The Mod Squad,'' 1/12/1971)
• Kiddie Parties, Inc. (''The Lucy Show,'' 10/7/1963)
• Law and Order, Incorporated (''The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca,'' 12/12/1958)
• Mink, Incorporated (''The Phil Silvers Show,'' 12/11/1956)
• Replacements, Inc. (''K-9 to 5'')
• Quitters, Inc. (''The Adam Carolla Project,'' 12/6/2005)
• Pixies, Inc. (''The Fairly OddParents,'' 2/20/2004)
• Romance, Incorporated (''The Tycoon,'' 1/26/1965)
• Spider, Inc. (''Science Fiction Theatre,'' 5/28/1955)
• Squib, Inc. (''15/Love'')
• Villains, Incorporated (''Richie Rich'')
• War, Inc. (''The Agency,'' 4/26/2003)
• Wildlife, Inc. (''Whistling Wings'')

New Eps Online: July, Week 4

New series and seasons (full eps only) released online since 17 July 2007:

• The Captain and Casey Show (FuelTV; Unbox): season 2
• Dog City (Fox; Unbox): season 3
• Iconoclasts (Sundance; iTunes): season 2
• The Kill Point (Spike; Unbox): current season (season 1)
• NOPI Tunervision (Speed; Unbox): current season (season 4)
• Room 401 (MTV; Unbox, iTunes): current season (season 1)
• Skyland (NickToons; iTunes): season 2
• Trick My Truck (CMT; Unbox, iTunes): seasons 1, 2 and 3 (current)
• V: The Miniseries (NBC; Unbox)

Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County

Looks like it's finally official.

Since the show started in Laguna Beach and is moving to Newport Beach, we all assumed the new season would keep the beach title and be called "Newport Beach: The Real Orange County."

Not so fast. We overlooked one detail.

The show is really moving from Laguna Beach High School to Newport Harbor High School. Just drop high school and "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" becomes "Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County."

Want more evidence?

Viacom filed a trademark app on 13 July 2007 for Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County. The application comes complete with the same stylized logo

Give the Devil His Queue

Yesterday the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) published UTBK's patent application (SN: 696159) for Systems and Methods to Prioritize a Queue. The proposed method prioritizes "a queue of waiting requests which are queued to be process sequentially. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving one or more price bids on queuing priority; and determining an order of a plurality of pending requests based on at least the one or more price bids."

This method nicely coincides with one of my ideas for theatrical films on the telly. Nice timing.

What if you could watch Simpsons: The Movie at home on the day it's released? What would that be worth to you?

Think about it. Gracie Films and 20th Century-Fox Film Corp could still release a small number of showings through your cable (or satellite) provider and allow potential viewers to bid for the opportunity to watch at home. They could create a market for a scarce commodity and probably get more than $10/person. Maybe they can even throw in a couple interactive features and DVD-like extras that you can't get at the theater. Now it's a scarce commodity with value-add. I can see the $$$ already.

Of course, it won't happen next week. The studios are afraid the movie can be too easily recorded and distributed without permission. At some point though, digital watermarking will be sufficiently advanced that a pirated video will be traced to the home at which it was recorded.

Delocated

Well, Cartoon Network has done it again. CN is developing a new animated series, but I can't find any details about it.

On 10 July 2002 Turner Broadcasting registered the domain name delocated.com. As with most domains I tell you about, nothing's there yet. Surprisingly, delocated.tv is still available.

Then, just two days later, The Cartoon Network filed a trademark app to protect Delocated for "entertainment services, namely, an animated program series provided through cable television, broadcast television, internet, video-on-demand and through other distribution platforms." As with most new projects, the network wants the viewser to connect on a deeper level and CN also protected Delocated for "on-line interactive computer games played via global computer networks and global communications networks."

Searches for Delocated with other keywords — such as animated, animation or cartoon — have really turned up nothing.

Searches for Delocated by itself have been fruitless, but amusing. I really doubt it has anything to do with the Delocator even though that site frequently appears in searches for delocated. Nor do I think the series will discuss delocated electrons in molecules. And I'm shocked by the number of people who write about delocated shoulders. I thought my dislocated shoulder hurt bad enough. I can't imagine a delocated shoulder, where I imagine my shoulder is removed from my torso and put somewhere else on Earth.

If you have any ideas about "Delocated," feel free to leave them in the comments section!

Inside the MMA

Can't get enough coverage of mixed martial arts? Want more shows for your new HDTV? Then HDNet has a new series just for you.

On 13 July 2007 HDNet filed a trademark application to protect Inside the MMA to provide "shows through broadcast media including television and via the Internet about mixed martial arts and related events featuring information in the field of sports, entertainment, and related topics."

Surprisingly, insidethemma.com was registered way back on 2 September 2006. The registrant kept all info private and the site is just parked for now; so I can't tell you who is developing the project. (Note for domain squatters: The domain registration expires this year. Keep your eyes open to see if it's actually renewed.)

Where There's a Thrill(ing List), There's a Play (on Words)

Where there's a will, there's a way.

One of those famous idioms that people use without even really thinking about it. And it's even become a fave phrase for estate planners too.

So I wondered about TV ep titles and how a writer might put his/her own spin on that famous quote. Here's a list (except direct uses of the idiom):

• Where There's a Fool, There's a Phallus (''Seriously Funny,'' 2/11/1997)
• Where There's a Way, There's a Will Stockdale (''No Time for Sergeants,'' 2/15/1965)
• Where There's a Well, There's a Way (''DangerMouse,'' 12/4/1986)
• Where There's a Will, There's a Creep (''Mighty Man and Yukk,'' 12/29/1979)
• Where There's a Will, There's a Dani (''P.S. I Luv U,'' 12/7/1991)
• Where There's a Will, There's a Goof (''Goof Troop,'' 11/12/1992)
• Where There's a Will, There's a Tony (''Night Court,'' 5/1/1991)
• Where There's a Will, There's a Waiver (''Yes, Dear,'' 1/8/2001)
• Where There's a Will, There's a War (''M*A*S*H,'' 2/22/1982)
• Where There's a Will, There's a Wave (''Summerland,'' 4/11/2005)
• Where There's a Will, There's a Wife (''The Many Wives of Patrick,'' 7/1/1977)
• Where There's a Will, There's a Won't (''Murphy's Law,'' 2/11/1989)
• Where There's a Wilt, There's a Way (''Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends,'' 2/4/2005)

New Eps Online: July, Week 3

New series and seasons (full eps only) released online since 10 July 2007:

• Aqua Teen Hunger Force (adult swim; iTunes): season 3
• Back to the Grind (TV Land): current season (season 1)
• Baldwin Hills (BET; iTunes): current season (season 1)
• Eureka (SciFi; iTunes): current season (season 2)
• The First 48 (A&E; iTunes): current season (season 6)
• Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (adult swim; iTunes): season 3
• Hogan Knows Best (VH1; iTunes): current season (season 4)
• I Hate My 30s (VH1; Joost, iTunes): current season (season 1)
• Mad Men (AMC; iTunes): current season (season 1)
• Monk (USA; iTunes): current season (season 6)
• Psych (USA; iTunes): current season (season 2)
• Sunset Tan (E!; Unbox): season 1
• Word Series of Pop Culture (VH1): current season (season 2)

Value-Add iTV

Put yourself in charge of a network for a while.

Many of your advertisers want to follow old-media rules. They only want to pay for commercial time for shows that air at predetermined times on the tube. Just like they always have. No time shifting. No screen shifting. No product placement.

How do you incent viewers to watch a telecast at the time and on the channel that your network chooses to air it? That's really the billion dollar question for the next few years as advertisers learn how to better estimate the value of alternate forms of marketing.

I think you have to provide something that only has value to the viewers actually watching the show in real-time on your network. If someone DVRs the show, that something has zero value. If someone watches the show online, then that something still has zero value. Seems obvious, but I really had to write that basic premise.

OK. Let's look at general features of potential solutions.

• This something cannot simply be additional content. Time shifters watch exactly what aired. Just later.
• This something must have a temporal component. A very short expiration date, if you will. Both time and screen shifters watch the show later and this something should not be available to any viewer at a later time.
• This something must only be available to people who are actually watching the show. You don't want viewers to have the ability to post/text/phone with directions about how to take advantage of this something.

All of these features point directly to the set-top box as the key component for this something.

• Time shifters get content from VCRs/DVRs/DVDs. Screen shifters watch content online. Shifters never watch the show as it's delivered in real-time by set-top boxes.
• Set-top boxes provide a way for the cable company — and therefore the networks — to communicate with the viewer.
• Digital set-top boxes provide a way for the viewer to communicate with the cable company during any specified time period as long as the set-top box is tuned to the proper channel.

Good. Now we've identified that set-top box should handle the transaction for this something. This something doesn't actually have to be delivered by the set-top box, but the box must complete the transaction between network and viewer. Call it interactive TV (iTV) or viewer engagement or whatever you want.

Finally. We can talk about this something with concrete examples since we set the boundaries and rules.

In some cases the set-top box can deliver this something.

• During a commercial for Coca-Cola, you press the 'A' button at the prompt and a unique code for Coke Rewards appears on your TV screen. Once the commercial is over, the opportunity is gone.
• Codes for special bingo cards for "National Bingo Night."

In other cases the set-top box simply handles the transaction.

• At various times during the show, a small icon appears on screen. If you press the 'Info' button when the icon is visible, you're given the option to order outtakes, bloopers, movie trailers, or other special content for free VOD anytime during the next week.
• Enter sweepstakes.
• Unlock interactive games (or levels for these games) that viewers can play during the show.
• Vote for concepts for improv or sketch shows.
• Vote for stories for newsmagazines.

There is one huge missing piece of the puzzle though. I have no clue how much value this something must have to attract viewers back to the tube. It may turn out that shifters value their time and opportunity of choice so highly that it's not economical to bring them back.

Marthapedia

An encyclopedia of Martha Stewart? Maybe even a corporate-sponsored wikisite for her?

She's had this little project planned for a while actually, but there are few details. She even gave the phrase a test run on Larry King last December, but nobody picked up on it. Except Larry King, surprisingly. He actually keyed on the word by repeating it once, but of course he never followed up with a real question.

Here are the key dates for Marthapedia:

• 2006 Oct 25: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. registers the domain name marthapedia.com. Like most things I tell you about, the domain is parked for now.


• 2006 Dec 11: Martha Stewart appears on "Larry King Live" and uses the word Marthapedia. Go ahead and search the transcript. It's the only relevant place you'll find it online.


• 2007 Jul 5: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. files two trademark applications to protect Marthapedia for "Entertainment services, namely, providing ongoing television programs and radio programs; providing online information; providing online publications" and "hand held computers, personal digital assistants, hand held electronic devices; computer hardware; computer software."

truTV Taking Over the Nation -- One Person at a Time

Yesterday you probably already read about Court TV's new name. truTV.

But is there something about the new brand they didn't announce yet?

Monday night I first found truTV in the trademark database, but I didn't really know what to make of it. Of course my requests for info went unanswered since Turner Broadcasting planned the official unveiling of truTV yesterday.

Well that was one trademark application. Turns out that Turner Broadcasting filed 34 trademark applications on July 3 and July 5, 2007 for five word marks:

• truTV
• iNation
• ViewerNation
• TrueNation
• truNation

The whole concept of iNation and ViewerNation goes hand-in-hand with a quote from Turner Entertainment Networks president Steve Koonin:

"Time magazine last year named 'you' as person of the year," Koonin said. "The first-person perspective is one of the guiding principles in differentiating our programming. Our new development and other shows take you right there. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel but broaden who we talk to and how we talk to them."

I'm just surprised that Turner Broadcasting didn't also protect

• uNation
• URNation
• MyNation

and a few others.

How to Succeed in Winning Friends Without Really Trying

Seventy years ago Dale Carnegie's book, How To Win Friends and Influence People, was #1 on the nonfiction bestseller list for the year. I was shocked when I learned that the book was 70 years old, and I figured the title was popular enough that TV scribes would've alluded to Carnegie's work quite often. As usual, I was wrong. Here's the short list of allusions:

• How to Win Friends and Electrocute People (''Cheers,'' 12/15/1988)
• How to Win Friends and Influence Nazis (''Hogan's Heroes,'' 10/21/1967)

Don't worry. I'll give you more than that.

Whenever I hear the title, How To Win Friends and Influence People, I immediately think of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. OK. How to Succeed... was a 1952 book, 1961 musical and 1967 theatrical film. It has to have more allusions. In fact, there are so many allusions that I'll break them into two groups.

The ways to succeed:

• How to Succeed in Business and Be Really Trying (''The Smothers Brothers Show,'' 4/1/1966)
• How to Succeed in Business Without Crying (''The New Phil Silvers Show,'' 4/18/1964)
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Retiring (''Minder,'' 2/18/1993)
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying to Be a Lesbian (''What I Like About You,'' 1/21/2005)
• How to Succeed in Farming Without Really Trying (''Gomer Pyle, USMC,'' 10/19/1966)
• How to Succeed in Television Without Really Trying (''Green Acres,'' 1/24/1968)
• How to Succeed in the Spy Business Without Really Trying (''Get Smart,'' 3/11/1967)
• How to Succeed in the Stock Market Without Really Trying (''The Debbie Reynolds Show,'' 2/24/1970)

And the ways to not succeed:

• How to Fail in Business with All Kinds of Help (''Bewitched,'' 4/6/1967)
• How to Suck in Business Without Really Trying (''Duckman,'' 7/19/1997)
• How to Try in Business Without Really Succeeding (''HMS Paradise,'' 12/3/1964)

New Eps Online: July, Week 2

New series and seasons (full eps only) released online since 3 July 2007:

• Body of Evidence (CourtTV; iTunes): current season (season 6)
• CatDog (Nick; iTunes): seasons 1 & 2
• Chicas Project (mun2; iTunes): current season (season 2)
• Ken Burns: America (PBS; iTunes): series of specials
• Ken Burns: American Lives (PBS; iTunes): series of specials
• Ken Burns: Jazz (PBS; iTunes): complete series
• The L Word (Showtime; iTunes, Unbox, Movielink): season 4
• Rock of Love with Bret Michaels (VH1; Unbox, iTunes): current season (season 1)
• Scott Baio is 45...and Single (VH1; iTunes): current season (season 1)

Attack of the Green Carpet

Everybody wants to go green now.

Shrek and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles used green carpets for their premieres. For obvious reasons — and nothing to do with saving the Earth.

Now some awards shows will use a green carpet to raise awareness about environmental issues. Maybe you saw this item about the 12th Annual Satellite Awards. But that's not all. Even Fuel TV is planning a Green Carpet Special, according to a trademark filing (SN 77217927) on 28 June 2007.

Dynamite Action Squad

Or maybe it's "Dynamite Action Code." Regardless of the name, looks like Cartoon Network has some "Dynamite Action" animation in development.

On June 14, 2007 Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. registered two domains: dynamiteactioncode.com and dynamiteactionsquad.com. Both sites are simply parked for now. Surprisingly, dynamiteaction.com is still available. That info did mean much to me though since TBS has so many cable channels.

Then on June 29, 2007 the Cartoon Network, Inc. filed trademark applications for Dynamite Action Squad and Dynamite Action Code for "entertainment services, namely, an animated program series."

Sweet stuff, but that's all I got. Searches for the phrases give me nothing. (Though I did find Napoleon Dynamite action figures during my search. Gosh!) I received no response to my e-mail requesting more information about the show.

New Eps Online: July, Week 1

New series and seasons (full eps only) released online since 26 June 2007:

• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (ABC; Unbox): volume 1
• American Body Shop (Comedy Central; iTunes): current season
• Design Squad (PBS; iTunes): season 1
• Dexter (Showtime; iTunes, Unbox, Movielink): season 1
• Greek (ABC Family; iTunes): current season
• Haunting Evidence (Court TV; iTunes): current season (season 2)
• Hey Paula (Bravo; iTunes): current season
• The L Word (Showtime; Unbox): season 4
• Mega Movers (History; iTunes): seasons 1 & 2
• My Gym Partner's a Monkey (Cartoon Network; iTunes): current season (season 3)
• styleyes: Miami (Si TV; iTunes): current season (season 3)
• This American Life (Showtime; Unbox, Movielink): current season
• Unacceptable Behavior (Si TV; iTunes): season 1

Apple was doing some testing tonight and these shows briefly appeared and then disappeared from iTunes:

• The Larry Sanders Show (Showtime): Best of
• Rick & Steve (Logo): current season
• Urban Jungle (Si TV): current season (season 2)

Could these shows be part of iTunes' next release?

Soccer Beckons

You've probably already heard that the Beckhams have his-and-her one-hour reality specials this summer.

Her show, "Victoria Beckham: Coming To America," will preem on July 16 on NBC and will focus on the family's move to LA. What was once a six-episode series has been reduced to a sixty-minute special.

His show will debut on ITV later this summer and will focus on his change in footy teams. I've seen many announcements about the special being made, but no specifics about title and airdate have been unveiled.

And then 20th Century Fox Film Corporation filed a trademark application for Soccer Beckons on 28 June 2007 for "entertainment services in the nature of television programming featuring sports." Sounds like the perfect name for the David Beckham reality special, doesn't it? Nice use of the American word for football. Nice play on words with Beckon/Beckham. Nobody at 20th Century Fox has confirmed this thought, but I thought I would just throw it out there anyways.