Ever wonder what became of Oz six decades after Dorothy and the Wizard departed?  Some of the startling answers are contained in a “lost” TV pilot that nearly found a home on WBNX in 2002.  Lost in Oz was one of The WB’s high-concept dramas, dropping Melissa George (Alias) and Colin Egglesfield (All My Children) into the land over the rainbow, where new witches have taken control, including the sultry Mia Sara.  While the series was not picked up, the pilot has—at long last—made its way to YouTube in eight segments, starting here.  This was one of five test-shows I can remember pulling hard for, because it’s something I’d definitely watch.  As the Wicked novels and stage plays have shown, people are very interested in backstories and flash-forwards involving familiar places and people.  There’s a particularly poignant moment in Lost in Oz when Melissa unearths what was once the yellow-brick road…in an area where horrible tragedy has obviously taken place.  Mythology shows like this are always a risk, due to special-effects and other restraints, but the payoff can be especially sweet when it connects with a pop-cult audience like Smallville, Buffy and Charmed did.  The other four pilots I referred to earlier also had a built-in fanbase: Dark Shadows, The Robinsons: Lost in Space (directed by John Woo), Aquaman, and the unique comedy Nobody’s Watching, which has generated millions of hits online.  Chances are, you recognize most of the titles and may have family members who grew up with the originals.  But TV is cyclical, so while these remakes didn’t make the cut, their legends are strong enough that someone will tackle the projects again.  Some day.

Thirteen years ago today signaled the beginning of a unique era in television history.  On Jan. 11, 1995, The WB Network debuted against all odds (only five days prior to UPN’s launch) and went on to dramatically change the industry.  The remarkable birth of one-time rivals WB and UPN—and their eventual merger to become The CW—is chronicled in a fascinating new book, Season Finale, co-authored by “the frog’s” longtime head of programming, Susanne Daniels.  While offering insight into the studio business and Hollywood “players,” the tome also shares loads of tidbits that’ll interest fans of pop-culture hits the nets spawned.  For instance, Beau Bridges was the original choice to play the father on 7th Heaven; Selma Blair nearly won the role that Katie Holmes was born to play; and Gilmore Girls was conceived as a half-hour sitcom, not an hour-long dramedy.  The WB came thisclose to picking up teen fave My So-Called Life when ABC cancelled it; Fox coveted Smallville; UPN passed on American Idol; and “there was delirium around the building” when ratings showed nearly half of all female teen viewers were glued to Dawson’s Creek.  Daniels goes into detail about the development, casting, success and eventual studio drama involving signature hit Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  Offbeat programming was a hallmark of The WB, whose lineup one season included Buffy, Angel, 7th Heaven, Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, Gilmore Girls, Charmed, Roswell, Popular and comedies which have since become syndication staples.  Several of those series are routinely listed among TV’s best-ever.  The UPN story is also recounted in detail, its greatest success coming with Star Trek: Voyager, Top Model and SmackDown.  The two networks combined forces in 2006 as The CW, with the same passion to deliver great entertainment for a new generation.  But the history behind it all is well-told and worth the read.

Nearly 9,000 meals will be provided to families in need, as a result of the sixth annual WBNX / Akron Middle Schools Food Drive.  This year’s two week campaign netted 11,255 pounds of non-perishable goods for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, boosting our program’s overall total to 44.7 tons of food donations.  That translates to more than 70,000 meals since the Food Drive partnership began in 2002.  As an incentive, students and teachers compete against other homerooms and the other middle schools to see who can collect the most items.  The winning class at each school receives a Donatos Pizza party, with the overall winning class featured in a WBNX promo on-air.  Congratulations to Mr. Frantz’s 6th-graders at Roswell Kent, who are #1 in the district for the fourth time in six years!  And a special shout-out to Mrs. Dougherty’s six ambitious students at Roswell Kent who, alone, brought in 1,269 items.  We’re proud of the sharing spirit these young people exhibit each holiday season, and are honored to be involved in such a worthwhile community project.

Only 17 more shopping days left, and if you’re one of those lucky few who’ve completed the task before the mad rush, WBNX has some relaxing holiday TV rewards for you! More than two dozen Christmas-themed episodes and specials are coming your way between now and December 25, starting with The CW’s “Merry Monday” comedy lineup of Everybody Hates Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends and The Game! The boys on Supernatural encounter the anti-Santa, while the Gossip Girl socialites unwrap…well, who knows what? Many of our daily comedies also have some memorable yuletide scripts, including Raymond, Frasier, George Lopez and According to Jim. And, of course, kids love the animated specials about Grandma and her hit-skip reindeer and The Story of Santa Claus. You can find a complete schedule of the holiday fare here on our new Christmas webpage, along with exclusive festive screensavers and other extras featuring your CW faves. Spread the word…and enjoy! P.S. Have you seen our new “Cleveland snowglobe” logo on air? Watch for it!

It’s been awhile since I mentioned it, but if your school lockers (or your walls at home, for that matter) need some fresh art, WBNX.com has 17 high-quality CW posters you can print right now! As you can see, there are a variety of styles, as well as single shows and nightly-block combo posters. To learn what’s available, just click on the “Shows” tab at the top of the page, find a series you like, then click on the “Printables” button near the center. While you’re in the area, you can also scope out the screensavers, wallpapers, icons and other program extras—all created by our in-house web artists. And spread the word, so your friends won’t be…uh, “green” with envy.

Got plans for tomorrow morning? Unless they involve pancakes and a 52-inch TV screen, change ‘em! Kids WB! on WBNX has added four great cartoons to an already-strong lineup: Will & DeWitt, Magi-Nation, Skunk Fu and Eon Kid. Returning favorites include Johnny Test, Shaggy & Scooby Doo Get a Clue, Legion of Superheroes, The Batman and Tom & Jerry. It always amazes our event crew how many college guys watch our animated shows every weekend! When they spin the Prize Wheel, they seem to know the cartoon characters, if nothing else. We’re all just big kids, I guess. This Sunday is also Premiere Day for our new season of 4 Kids TV shows, including a live-action game show, The Adrenaline Project, and the next level of anime, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Click here to see the schedule, and let us know which cartoons you think are worth rolling out of the sack for!

The September 18 issue of Time magazine has compiled its list of the 100 Best TV Shows of All Time, and several shows with ties to WBNX are included. We currently have Friends, Cheers, Star Trek and 24 on our schedule, with the beloved Gilmore Girls departing after last week’s finale. We’re proud that the Stars Hollow gang debuted here, along with two other WB favorites included on the list: Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Felicity. And looking over the remaining programs Time selected, at least a dozen of them have been a part of our WBNX lineup through the years—classics like The Honeymooners, Sanford & Son, and Gunsmoke. Hey, we’re fans of great TV, just like all of you! What’s your all-time fave? Post a comment

“They’re closing the schools!” my co-worker marveled.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because of the fair.”

And with that odd exchange, I learned that the 158th annual Wayne County Fair is a pretty major deal. I sure can’t recall any of my schools in Summit County ever giving us a “Fair Day,” but that’s exactly what happens in Wooster this Monday—when over a dozen districts in Wayne County send their students off to learn about agriculture, animals, and…well, have fun at the fair. What a blast! Our WBNX crew will be on hand Saturday to host two first-time events: a Scavenger Hunt with Scooby-Doo and Ali for kids 12 and under (the first 700), from noon til 2; and a Teen Night dance party from 7-10pm. Our buddy, Kevin, from Main Attraction DJ Service will be spinning the tunes, and Niel will have some nice giveaways.

I’ve eaten hamburgers that cost more than the fair’s general admission price of $2. A nice bargain for a full day of entertainment. (Oh, and education! — pop-quiz on Tuesday) Need more info on the fair? Click here!

“DEGRASSI-Mania” spread throughout Northeast Ohio recently, with four stars from the series joining WBNX at the Portage County Randolph Fair. Mike Lobel (bad-boy Jay), Ryan Cooley (J.T.), Melissa McIntyre (Ashley) and Amanda Stepto (Spike) greeted hundreds of excited fans at the fair, autographing free photos and interacting with the teens at the annual dance party. Living in the Toronto area, the group had never been to a down-home county fair, and they really enjoyed the attractions — including deep-fried Oreos! Amanda is a huge animal-lover, so petting the various farm critters was a treat.

Earlier in the day, Mike and Amanda gave a nice interview to the Plain Dealer’s Julie Washington; while Melissa and Ryan hit the airwaves with KISS-FM’s evening jock, Java Joel. You can find the podcast of their chat here and the Plain Dealer’s article here. The actors also taped some revealing Q & A’s on-camera with WBNX to post on our website. Amanda, who many fans also remember from Degrassi Jr. High in the ‘80s, mentioned that she and a friend are pitching a new show to producers in Canada. And yes, her familiarity as “Spike” on one of the country’s most popular shows definitely helps to open some doors.

The Degrassi kids couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating during their brief visit to Cleveland. From here, they flew to Minneapolis for appearances at the Mall of America and the Minnesota State Fair. Then it’s back to the set, where Season 7 of Degrassi: The Next Generation is now in production.

Over the years, WBNX has given you the chance to meet some great network talent here in Cleveland, such as Scott Patterson, Stephen Collins, Nikki Cox, Nicholas Brendan, Beverley Mitchell, David Gallagher, Wesley Jonathan, Jesse McCartney, Jamie Foxx, Eden’s Crush, Nick Wechsler, Zen Gesner and others. Continue to watch or logon for future visits. Be sure to take advantage of these local appearances, because a lot of cities never get star visits. Did you come & meet the Degrassi actors? Share your comments!

Beginning Sept. 8: Degrassi: TNG airs on WBNX: weekdays at 5pm, Sat. noon-1pm & 3-4pm; and Sun. at 3:30pm

Will Khali crush Mysterio?

• Yes, Khali will crush Mysterio
• No, Mysterio will crush Khali

View Results

 Loading ...

Yesterday in New York City the CW announced the Fall 2007 primetime lineup. Read on for the schedule detailing the new lineup.

Right from the start we have six new series and at least 3 more to follow midseason. Space was opened up with the recent series finales of 7th Heaven and Gilmore Girls. Also, it appears Veronica Mars will not be coming back for another season and has been cancelled. If you’re frightened by the absence of One Tree Hill, don’t fear. One Tree Hill will come back midseason but with a major twist - it will be four years into the future. So this means they should all be graduated from college and ready for whatever drama will come next. Online diaries starting in the fall will help to update fans on what has happened during the four years and give One Tree diehards something to hold them over until the show returns. Stick with blog.wbnx.com and we’ll keep you posted when the online diaries appear online.

We have one new comedy, Aliens in America. Three new dramas: Reaper, Gossip Girl and Life is Wild. Then we have two current events shows. CW Now will keep you up-to-date with all the latest trends. Online Nation will be a place to see the hottest online and viral videos from all over the internet in a fun half hour show.

Let us know what you think of the new shows or if your upset to see a show going off the schedule.

	Everybody Hates Chris	8:00pm
	8:30pm Click to watch a preview! ALIENS IN AMERICA Justin Tolchuk (Dan Byrd, “The Hills Have Eyes”) is a sensitive, lanky 16-year-old just trying to make it through the social nightmare of high school in Medora, Wisconsin, with the help of his well-meaning mom Franny (Amy Pietz, “Caroline in the City”), aspiring-entrepreneur dad Gary (Patrick Breen, “Kevin Hill”), and his popular sister Claire (Lindsey Shaw, “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide”), who is sweetly unaware of how good-looking she is. When Franny signs up for the school’s international exchange student program, she pictures an athletic, brilliant Nordic teen who will bestow instant coolness on her outsider son. However, when the Tolchuk’s exchange student arrives, he turns out to be Raja Musharaff (Adhir Kalyan, “Fair City”), a 16-year-old Pakistani Muslim. Despite the cultural chasm between them, Justin and Raja quickly develop an unlikely friendship that just might allow them to navigate the minefield that is contemporary high school. It’s going to be a very interesting year for Raja, Justin, his family and the entire population of Medora.
	Girlfriends	9:00pm
	The Game	9:30pm
	Beauty & The Geek	8:00pm
	9:00pm REAPER For the first 20 years of his life, Sam (Bret Harrison, “The Loop,” “Grounded for Life”) wondered why his parents went so easy on him. Whether it was school, sports or career choices, Sam’s mom (Allison Hossack, “Falcon Beach”) and dad (Andrew Airlie, “The L Word”) always let him get by with the least possible effort, while at the same time pressuring his younger brother Keith (Kyle Switzer, “15/Love”) to excel. As a result, Sam skipped college, took a dead-end job and now wastes endless hours playing video games and wishing he had the guts to ask out his pretty co-worker, Andi (Nikki Reed, “Thirteen,” “The O.C.”). Everything in his slacker world changes the day Sam turns 21 and discovers the ungodly reason his parents let him slide: they sold his soul to the devil before he was born. Satan himself (Ray Wise, “24,” “The Closer”) drops by to personally explain that Sam must now serve as his bounty hunter, tracking down evil souls that have escaped and returning them to Hell. At first, Sam refuses to accept his bizarre fate, but after getting just a glimpse of Satan’s temper, Sam realizes that breaking a deal with the devil has consequences that are very, very bad. Armed with a constantly changing series of vessels ?? starting with a Dirt Devil mini-vacuum ?? to collect the escapees, Sam immediately finds that the work is dangerous and frightening, even with the goofball help of his friends and fellow slackers, Bert “Sock” Wysocki (Tyler Labine, “Boston Legal,” “Invasion”) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez, “Coach Carter”), along with Sock’s former-girlfriend-turned-paralegal, Josie (Valarie Rae Miller, “Dark Angel”). Still, as weird and scary as his life has become, Sam is surprised to find that he somehow feels good about his newfound “mission” ?? removing evil-doers from the world and sending them back where they belong. With his friends and his trusty vessel-of-the-week at his side, Sam is ready to face his destiny as the Reaper.
	America’s Next Top Model	8:00pm
	9:00pm Click to watch a preview! GOSSIP GIRL The privileged prep school teens on Manhattan’s Upper East Side first learn that Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”) is back in town the way they learn all the important news in their lives ?? from the blog of the all-knowing albeit ultra-secretive Gossip Girl. No one knows Gossip Girl’s identity, but everyone in this exclusive and complicated vicious circle relies on her text messages for the latest scoop. Serena’s closest friend, Blair (Leighton Meester, “Surface”), is just as surprised as everyone else to find that Serena has suddenly ended her self-imposed exile to boarding school and returned to Manhattan. The tension between Blair and Serena isn’t lost on Gossip Girl, who is determined to uncover and fuel any and all scandals. Does it involve Serena’s brother Eric (Connor Paolo, “One Life to Live”), Blair’s boyfriend Nate (Chace Crawford, “The Covenant”) or Nate’s buddy Chuck (Ed Westwick, “Children of Men”)? Maybe it has something to do with Dan (Penn Badgley, “John Tucker Must Die”) and his sister Jenny (Taylor Momsen, “Spy Kids 2,” “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”), whose middle-class background keeps them on the fringes of this exclusive clique. Even the parents ?? from Serena’s mother Lily (Kelly Rutherford, “Melrose Place”), a former ballerina/rock-groupie, to Nate’s high-powered father Howie “The Captain” Archibald (Sam Robards, “The West Wing”), to Dan and Jenny’s dad Rufus (Matthew Settle, “Brothers and Sisters”), a former rocker turned art gallery owner ?? are aware that their sons and daughters are constantly checking their Sidekicks to read Gossip Girl’s latest sightings and overheard tidbits. Overriding all the shifting friendships, jealousies and turmoil in this wealthy and complex world, the central mystery remains – Who Is Gossip Girl? Based on the popular series of young-adult novels by Cecily von Ziegesar.
	Smallville	8:00pm
	Supernatural	9:00pm
	Friday Night Smackdown	8:00pm
	7:30pm CW NOW CW NOW blends news and entertainment to create the ultimate source for everything that’s hip, hot and happening right now in the world of young adults. With a team of experts focusing on the topics and trends that appeal specifically to The CW generation, this new series will feature informative and entertaining reports on the hottest fashions, the coolest music, the must-see movies and the must-have gadgets and technology. CW NOW will be everywhere young adults are: from cyberspace profiling the best of the web, to hitting the streets and getting inside the most popular hotspots. With young adults’ insatiable appetite for all things celebrity, each episode will report on the latest news and gossip from inside the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Moving at a rapid-fire pace and utilizing eye-catching graphics and visuals, CW NOW fits perfectly with the on-demand lifestyle of adults 18-34.
	7:30pm Click to watch a preview! ONLINE NATION Young adults have taken their quest for fame into their own hands as the amount of user-generated entertainment continues to explode across the internet. Now The CW is giving them a nationally televised stage to show off what they’ve got. ONLINE NATION scours the nearly infinite number of websites, blogs and user-generated materials on the internet to find the best, the hottest, the unique and sometimes, the flat-out bizarre, and presents it on The CW audience’s other favorite screen: the TV screen. This fun, irreverent weekly series features everything and anything that has captured the attention of the online world, from the most popular sites to the addictive viral videos being shared by millions, to insights from the digital tastemakers. Born of the internet and tailored specifically for this generation, this series also features an innovative interactive element as viewers will be able to see what others are saying and communicate with them live on the air. The CW is turning mouse potatoes into couch potatoes by putting all the greatest internet clips in one ready-to-use package.
	8:00pm Click to watch a preview! LIFE IS WILD Katie Clarke (Leah Pipes, “Clubhouse”) may never forgive her veterinarian father, Danny (Brett Cullen, “Ghost Rider,” “Friday Night Lights”), for dragging their entire blended family out of New York City to spend a year living in a broken-down lodge called The Blue Antelope in a game reserve deep inside South Africa. Everyone in the family, including Katie’s 11-year-old brother Chase (K’sun Ray, “Smith”), Danny’s second wife Jo (Judith Hoag, “Armageddon”), her rebellious teenage son Jesse (Andrew St. John, “General Hospital”) and 7-year-old daughter, Mia (Mary Matilyn Mouser, “Eloise”), is sure Danny has lost his mind. But Danny’s reasons go beyond his desire to keep his troubled family together while making a difference in the lives of the people and animals of South Africa: his deceased first wife Claire grew up at The Blue Antelope and it’s still home to her reclusive father Art (David Butler). After just a few days in South Africa, the family has already encountered an injured lioness, a lost cub, and a gentle giraffe. They’ve also met a few locals, including a handsome young Brit, Oliver Banks (newcomer Calvin Goldspink) and his twin sister Emily (newcomer Tiffany Mulheron), whose father Colin Banks (Jeremy Sheffield), runs a safari business for wealthy tourists, and Tumelo (newcomer Atandwa Kani), a teen who dreams of becoming a veterinarian. While they are definitely outsiders, Katie and the rest of the family are nevertheless beginning to love the breathtaking vistas of the bush country and the vibrant culture enveloping them. A year in this strange but beautiful place might not be so bad after all.
	America’s Next Top Model (Encore)	9:00pm