Saturday, July 19, 2008

Nina Tassler comments on canceling Moonlight


Hello all.... On Friday, I read comments Nina Tassler made regarding Moonlight. This was reported by several sources who attended the 2008 Television Critics Association Press Tour. I've posted examples below. After reading what Tassler had to say, I had many thoughts streaming thru my head (I know you will also). I wanted to at least attempt to get those thoughts in order before posting this for you.

As you know, when I started my Moonlight blog I shared with you that I was already writing, emailing and calling CBS in support of our show. I was very aware of the fact that Moonlight was not the "normal" series and needed its fans to be heard. I asked you all to do that same. You joined the campaign with such wonderful enthusiasm. :) We continued communicating with the network right through the cancelation of Moonlight.

I can not begin to count the number of emails and comments I received from Moonlight fans who were contacting CBS. Lots of you even posted the messages you sent to them for all of us to read here on the blog. The notes got our point across but were dignified, polite and gracious... even after we learned that our show had been canceled. Just like the messages we have seen and heard from Trevor Munson, Alex O'Loughlin, Jason Dohring, etc.

One thing Nina Tassler says is that the fan response to Moonlight is "actor-centric." We all know she is referring to Alex O'Loughlin. Of course, Alex is a huge draw! DUH! Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a good thing? Don't you hire a leading man to do precisely that?

I was an Alex fan long before Moonlight. However, that is not the only reason that I am addicted. The vast majority of the messages I sent to CBS were about how fantastic the show is... the writers... the entire cast. You also shared with us that you did the same. We all know that MickBeth was the topic of innumerable letters, voicemails, emails and such.

Even if we were tuning in just to see Alex as Mick St John, since when is that a problem? Most television executives don't care WHY you are watching their show. They only care that your eyeballs are on their network and not some place else. It's about ratings leading to ad revenue.

In my opinion, the comments are simply an attempt at damage control. TPTB do not like to admit that they are wrong. I know you are shocked by that ~ *wink*

I'm happy to see that the entertainment reporters are still asking about Moonlight. Most canceled shows do not receive this kind of sustained attention in the media. That is because you have been doing an amazing job of keeping our show alive!

Sorry about the long winded post. I'm stopping myself now! I took the extra time to organize my thoughts so that I wouldn't ramble on. That didn't quite work out :)

XO ~
Kandye

Tube Talk ~ STLToday.com
Excerpts from TCA press tour: CBS party, only for the hardy
By Gail Pennington

The point of these events is to give visiting TV critics a chance to mingle with and interview actors, producers and network executives; people you either haven’t seen during the formal press conferences during the day or haven’t had a chance to talk to. The point isn’t really to have fun, although some of the parties can be fun.

...CBS partnered with the CW and Showtime and went all out, busing us to the club Boulevard3 in Hollywood...

...I again tried to get into the club and this time succeeded. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, in a strapless dress, was just outside the door; her publicist was rotating interviewers through on a 90-second time limit. Uh … no. Somebody handed me a glass of champagne (good) and a cone of french fries with rosemary mayonnaise (very good), but it was hard to walk without spilling on myself. After the crowd outside, the club was almost empty. That gave me a chance to talk to Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, who told me the “Moonlight” supporters had sent her red wine, and that she actually tried a bottle, but it was terrible. Although she had to cancel “Moonlight,” she said, she wouldn’t rule out another project for its star, Alex O’Loughlin.

http://tinyurl.com/623xng

iF Magazine
Television : Breaking News : THE FINAL WORD ON 'MOONLIGHT' FROM CBS
By Carl Cortez

The stake in the heart of the show has been there for some time, but at least we now know why it was cancelled

LOCATION: The underworld

THE SKINNY: While MOONLIGHT has faded into the darkness, it was still important to check in with CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler at today’s TCA press tour about any final words on the series which starred Alex O’Laughlin as vamp Mick St. John.

“Everybody knows I love vampires, witches, werewolves, warlocks – I love them all,” says Tassler. “The response to MOONLIGHT was actually more actor-centric. So I think it certainly measures our decision on the show. Like I said, I don’t question the choice we made. I’m not getting as much mail and most of those comments were actor-centric.

So does that mean CBS would hire O’Loughlin in a heartbeat?

“Sure,” says Tassler. “We’d love to.”

http://ifmagazine.com/new.asp?article=6556

Entertainment Weekly ~ The Ausiello Files
by Michael Ausiello
Live Press Tour : CBS Day One

Executive Session
The Player: Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment. Or as she's more commonly referred, the evil woman who killed Moonlight.

9:30 am: Cover your eyes, Moonlight fans. Tassler downplays the fan outcry in the wake of the show's cancellation, maintaining that most of the feedback was "actor-centric." (Huh?) She also says she's not getting a lot of mail and doesn't regret the decision.

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/07/live-press-to-3.html

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kandye - you are absolutely right in everything you said, especially, "the eyeballs on their network" regardless of the reason.
I will say it again, NT is a big, fat, ugly liar and wouldn't know the truth if jumped up and bit her in the behind. (of course I've not told her that....but how I'd love to).

I know Alex has to work, along with Jason, Sophia, et al....but I don't want him on CBS. I know show business is a lousy backstabbing, two-faced, ego cutting business....but how can you TRUST when they so blantantly put him out there with their commercials of, "did you miss me" and, you're gonna miss them when they're gone"....they used him. I know some fans were spectulating that the "miss when gone" spot meant a series final, but then they weren't sure. I did not take it that way....but in hindsight WE ALL SHOULD HAVE READ BETWEEN THE LINES.

I never said in any blogs that I was never going to watch CBS again but I've noticed, I've unconsciously avoided the channel. I truly get a sick feeling in my stomach when I click through the channels and I catch a brief commercial for their Fall shows. I'm still so mad at them...I don't know if I'll ever forgive them.

But if any of the cast members end up there I know I'll be there.

Anonymous said...

I wrote about her comments on my blog last night..
(http://tengossip.com/2008/07/19/nina-tassler-im-sucking-my-moonlight-friends-on-you/)

I have been getting a lot of messages from Moonlight fans on how sick in their heart that they are that the show is gone. Never mind I am heart broken. I think Nina is dumb to not listen to those fans writing about Alex, so what if he is bringing the viewers...they would have the viewers that way!

I even sent a message off to Alex about how sad I am...I wish they could bring the show back...I don't care how... I just want it back!

Deborah said...

Nina Tassler has been lying before & after the cancellation of Moonlight. Before the cancellation, she stated that she loved "her vampire" & Moonlight. She gave all the indications to us fans that Moonlight will be renewed. After the cancellation, Tassler lied again by blaming "low rating" for canceling the show. Now, she continued her lie by saying we fans loved only Alex, not the show itself!! That was insulting & hitting below the belt!! I, too, have written, telephoned, and e-mailed to Tassler & Moonves numerous times, before & after the cancellation praising about Moonlight, as well as the cast, writers, and other Moonlight personnel. I particularly emphasized about my love for the magical, romantic tale of Mick/Beth. Moonlight was the most unique & refreshing show on television. I doubt that I will ever see another show like Moonlight again.

The bottom line is that Tassler simply doesn't care what the fans want to see. She will NEVER admit that she has made the BIGGEST mistake by canceling Moonlight. Nina Tassler is a perpetual LIAR.

Deborah said...

Nina Tassler has been lying before & after the cancellation of Moonlight. Before the cancellation, she stated that she loved "her vampire" & Moonlight. She gave all the indications to us fans that Moonlight will be renewed. After the cancellation, Tassler lied again by blaming "low rating" for canceling the show. Now, she continued her lie by saying we fans loved only Alex, not the show itself!! That was insulting & hitting below the belt!! I, too, have written, telephoned, and e-mailed to Tassler & Moonves numerous times, before & after the cancellation praising about Moonlight, as well as the cast, writers, and other Moonlight personnel. I particularly emphasized about my love for the magical, romantic tale of Mick/Beth. Moonlight was the most unique & refreshing show on television. I doubt that I will ever see another show like Moonlight again.

The bottom line is that Tassler simply doesn't care what the fans want to see. She will NEVER admit that she has made the BIGGEST mistake by canceling Moonlight. Nina Tassler is a perpetual LIAR.

Anonymous said...

I shouldn't be surprised Nina is lying in the press, but it still upsets me.

The romance between Mick and Beth is what drew a VAST majority of viewers. I loved the vampire aspect and so did many, many others. We all watched for various reasons, but for her to say the letters she apparently didn't read said we love Alex only...LIAR.

I will not watch CSI (used to watch it, but got bored with it) if Alex goes there. I might buy it on iTunes or watch it online though, but using my eyes to watch it on CBS...newp.

Anonymous said...

Nina Tassler's comments make my blood boil. As fantastic as Alex O'Laughlin turned out to be, it was the vampire theme of the show that first got my attention. I don't care how much eye candy there is on a TV show - if the story's rubbish, I won't keep watching. As to the comment about the lack of mail she is getting - well, that's because Moonlight fans have turned their attention to more productive pursuits, like getting the show picked up somewhere else. I'm an Australian, so I can't boycott CBS, but I hope all you wonderful American fans will!!!

Anonymous said...

I went to the CBS Moonlight site and left feedback regarding NT comments. Want a bunch of crap. HBO's new series and Twilight will make her regret the decision. I don't watch CBS. I also get sick with thinking they don't listen to my demographic. 40 and a woman. Her loss.

Anonymous said...

Nina Tassler is a PR nightmare for CBS. She makes enemies everytime she opens her mouth. I hope that someone at CBS wakes up to the fact that she is alienating their "customers".

Anonymous said...

I'm an Australian and had never heard of Alex before Moonlight. I now adore him, but is he the reason I loved ML? No- I love all the characters and especially the relationships these characters had - thats what was so unique. Apart from the MickBeth romance, who can show me another relationship on TV that is similar to Mick & Josef?? I have sinced watched other projects of Alex and didn't find him at all appealing, but in Mick St John he was awesome.

Anonymous said...

NT and her lies make me sick. MOONLIGHT was a series centered on Alex/Mick? What the hell is she talking about? It was the relationship between Mick and Beth that made me love the show and keep watching it.All of that love, pain and emotion between them- it was the best. Before MOONLIGHT I'd never heard of Alex O'Loughlin and I don't automatically love everything he's - for instance- I did NOT love Alex in "The Shield"- he seemed wooden, one dimensional. It was the whole ensemble of actors, characters, and writers that made MOONLIGHT fabulous. The Crap Broadcasting System is run by a bunch of morons who clearly haven't a clue,

Anonymous said...

Ok, OK -- I know we are "done" with CBS, but allow me my guilty pleasure now that I don't have Moonlight. I enjoy throwing a sarcastic note their way every now and again and this article prompted me to do it again:
===========================
So not many people are writing to Ms Tassler about Moonlight? First of all, not sure I quite believe that... I wrote/emailed/called plenty and according to the (still considerable) noise on the web, so did lots of others. I guess to someone for whom 8m viewers isn't enough, a lot equals "not many". And then of course most of us gave up on CBS when we realized that you don't give any consideration to the opinions of a large fanbase who were (ARE) incredably enthusiastic. Check out the ads, billboards, internet noise and the blood drive. We are out here Ms Tassler -- perhaps writing to YOU isn't the only thing that counts? Perhaps CBS should realize that the folks who stopped contacting the network may also have stopped watching it?

Ms Tassler's decision was shortsighted and now she doesn't even have the acumen to realise she helped CBS miss the boat on a genre that is going to be big news this fall -- you had an established show ahead of the crowd and Ms Tassler made sure that you lost that.

When "The Ex-List" tanks (and it will, it will) maybe then someone will see that Ms Tassler is perhaps not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Kandye, for all that you do in support of Moonlight. And for keeping a cool head and giving us the full facts. It is difficult when someone strikes out at something or someone you love to react calmly but you have been, as always, a shining example of grace and control. Thank you!
-janet
(KissMeMick)

Jazmin said...

I'm boycotting CBS since may 16th, and I'm doing it automatically.....sometimes I'm just changing channels and maybe something grabs my attention and when I see that the show or anything else that grabs my attention is on that channel I just loose interest inmediatly.....is that how much I hate that network!!! I hate ghost whisperer (and I use to like it) I hate numb3rs, I hate CSI (all of them).....I really don't know what am I going to watch now!!!

Anonymous said...

I, too, loved Moonlight and am disappointed about the show being canceled. It's a bummer that a show with so much potential had to be cut.

But a lot of the comments and frustrations seem to circle around one quote from Nina Tassler ("The response to MOONLIGHT was actually more actor-centric.") and state that she lies, yet in their next sentence prove Nina's point exactly.

Taylor Blue starts it off by saying:

I think Nina is dumb to not listen to those fans writing about Alex, so what if he is bringing the viewers...they would have the viewers that way!

Then Deborah echoes (in the third comment):

"Now, she continued her lie by saying we fans loved only Alex, not the show itself!! That was insulting & hitting below the belt!!..........I particularly emphasized about my love for the magical, romantic tale of Mick/Beth."

And Anonymous had to add (and seemingly missing the point): MOONLIGHT was a series centered on Alex/Mick? What the hell is she talking about?

One of the only people to mention anything about the show itself was Emma:

As fantastic as Alex O'Laughlin turned out to be, it was the vampire theme of the show that first got my attention.

Look, people, while the actors are a huge part of why people may tune into a show in the first place, some of you seem to think that is what is going to keep everybody's attention. Well, frankly, it's not enough.

It's the storyline, plot, writing, cinematography, acting (not the actors) and more that is what is important. When people make most of their comments regarding Alex, they are focusing on Alex, not the show. That is exactly what Nina is talking about.

Now, as I said, I enjoyed Moonlight and am disappointed that it won't continue. But I'm not under the illusion that it was the greatest show ever. And I'm not going to resort to name calling because something didn't go the way I wanted.

What I will do is write a letter stating that I enjoyed the show and what I liked about it. But you can also be sure that I will writing something more articulate than "OMG! I just loved Alex! He is the best actor ever! I can't believe you canceled the show!" Which is what I keep seeing on so many Moonlight fan sites.

- Shannon

Anonymous said...

I know Leeser and all the wonderful ladies at MoonlightLine have told us to let go of the hostilities toward CBS and a certain horned woman running it (at least verbally, although we all know what we think in our minds), and until now, I have NEVER trash-talked the business out of personal, face-to-face conversation with close friends. But I just need to say this, and then I'll forever be silenced on the whole CBS craziness.

Nina Tassler: you are a BITCH.

There. I'm good now. The business is cut-throat and I understand that (more than you know), but still, I guess I've never understood the feeling of television betrayal until I was actually attached to something so diversely affected. And my comment may have knocked down my internet IQ a good 40 points, but it made me feel somewhat better about this whole thing. And that's all I need to say.

Anonymous said...

You know, the more I watch Moonlight, the more I like it. It was a good show, and MickBeth had the best chemistry on TV.

CBS wanted to get away from vampires. They wanted something more vanilla for the slot. And look what they are airing. I am not watching CBS anymore. I am going to buy Ghost Whisper on DVD and just forget about watching TV.

I also think NT is lying. I think they wanted Alex out. They just won't admit that, ever.

Anonymous said...

"But you can also be sure that I will writing something more articulate than "OMG! I just loved Alex! He is the best actor ever! I can't believe you canceled the show!" Which is what I keep seeing on so many Moonlight fan sites."

I respectfully disagree with you on this comment. I have read countless comments from Moonlight fans on all the articles, and the VAST majority of fans mention the storylines, romance, character development and relationships,the music,all of it. Alex is also mentioned but usually as just one of many reasons listed. You should go back and reread the comments. Nina is just trying to divide the fan base into Moonlight VS Alex fans. ABSURD! Don't buy her crap.

Anonymous said...

ryholaaa, me llamo Raquel y soy una chica española, de españa sisi. el pasado miercoles estrenaron aqui MoonLight, y me encantó. y que chico mas sexy!! me encanta. alex es el mejor. estaba buscando fotos sobre la serie y tal y cual, y me he encontrado con esta pagina web, no entiendo nada de lo que pone jajaja, porque esta en ingles, y yo de inglés poco sé.. jaja.. no se donde llegara este mensaje, pero si lee alguien este comentario que conozca a Alex, por favor, POR FAVOR, pedirle que venga a España, a Madrid, a él y a todo el reparto. Oisss, me encanta. gracias por hacer esta serie, de verdad. y si alguien que lea esto es del equipo de la serie, por favor, enviarme un poster aqui a españa. mirad, mi email es rakel197@hotmail.com por favor, poneros en contacto conmigo :D gracias por hacer la serie, gracias!! thanks!! os quiero a todosss. un besazo guapos! adios^^