Society of TELEVISION LIGHTING DIRECTORS

TV News: Network taps comedian for 'Comic' show -- Comedian Kevin Hart has been tapped as the new host of BET's "Comic View" and has also shot a reality pilot for the Viacom-owned cabler.

TV News: Net to develop with McG, Malkin, Thumann -- FX has hit a "Crossroads," developing a drama project with McG and scribes Laurence Malkin and Chad Thumann.

TV News: Todd signs new two-year overall deal -- Don Todd, co-creator and exec producer of ABC's frosh success "Samantha Who?," has inked a new two-year overall deal with "Samantha" producer ABC Studios.

TV News: On Digital Media license challenges MultiChoice -- The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa issued a pay TV license to On Digital Media on Monday, paving the way for it to go on air next year and finally opening up the market so long dominated by pan-African satcaster MultiChoice.

TV News: In which future composers meet their future bosses -- Final scores were due at 8AM the next morning; what better time to meet music-business heavies? From Warner Bros. Pictures came Doug Frank (president, music operations) and Lisa Margolis (senior VP, legal affairs); from Sony Pictures Television, Tony Scudellari (VP, music creative) and Sean Mulligan (senior director, U.S. film, television & media, ole); and Russell Emanuel, president of stock music library Extreme Music.

TV News: British drama added to schedule -- Spanish commercial web Antena 3 is adding another British drama remake to its schedule, picking up the rights to ITV series "Doc Martin" from distributor Portman Film and Television.

TV News: Exec to head sales, marketing -- Pan-European broadcasting group ProSiebenSat.1 has appointed Klaus-Peter Schulz as head of sales and marketing.

TV News: MTV taps comic to host awards show -- MTV has tapped Brit comic Russell Brand to host this year's Video Music Awards.

TV News: Kid programming companies merge -- A $195 million deal to acquire the Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears kids properties from American Greetings has cleared the way for Canadian animation company Cookie Jar Entertainment to merge with DIC Entertainment Holdings.

TV News: Actor agrees to first-ever regular TV role -- Harvey Keitel has just agreed to his first-ever regular TV series role, joining the cast of ABC's upcoming "Life on Mars" adaptation.

TV News: Where the music meets the math -- As the clock ticks down to Friday's scoring session at Fox's Newman Scoring Stage, the 12 participants tuned up their scores at JoAnne Kane Music, a mechanics shop of music.

TV News: 'Baby Borrowers' continues decline -- Another two-hour installment of "So You Think You Can Dance" lifted Fox to a sizable ratings victory on Wednesday, a night that saw CBS' "Big Brother" on the rise and NBC's "Baby Borrowers" continue to decline.

TV News: Actress joins Samuel L. Jackon in animated pic -- Lucy Liu is set to embrace her inner warrior. The 39-year-old actress will lend her voice to "Afro Samurai: Resurrection," a two-hour sequel to the animated series starring Samuel L. Jackson, Spike TV announced Thursday.

TV News: RAI chiefs fail to ax fiction boss -- Beleaguered RAI fiction boss Agostino Sacca survived another attempt to get rid of him late Wednesday as center-right supporters walked out of a crucial vote.

TV News: Antitrust watchdog rules against media mogul -- The German antitrust watchdog has torpedoed a Euros 3 billion ($4.7 billion) deal between Deutsche Fussball Liga, the German Football League, and media mogul Leo Kirch to produce and market top league Bundesliga soccer.

TV News: Chef kicks off unit with Optomen Television -- Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is launching his own production shingle, under a pact with U.K. production partner Optomen Television.

TV News: Red Square to make show for Channel One -- Russia is set to become the latest country to produce its own local version of hit BBC comedy “The Office.”

TV News: Manager was Bonnie Franklin's business partner -- Marilyn Shapiro, theater and television producer and long-time manager and business partner to actress Bonnie Franklin, died July 20 in Los Angeles after a long struggle with kidney disease. 

TV News: Network to remake 1975 cult classic -- MTV is doing the time warp on a remake of 1975 cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

TV News: Singer, Burnett, Roth create new series -- R&B star Chris Brown is getting into the reality TV biz, partnering with producers Mark Burnett and J.D. Roth to create a new dance competition series.