By James Hibberd

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The Fox network is shaking up Wednesday night by swapping reality hit “American Idol” and the new police procedural “Lie to Me.”

Once the singing competition moves into the finals March 11, Fox will pivot “Idol” to 9 p.m., turning its ratings Death Star against ABC’s “Lost” for the rest of season.

The Tim Roth-starring “Lie to Me” will stay out of the way by shifting to 8 p.m.

Though “Idol” and “Lost” tend to have different audiences, last week Fox aired a two-hour “Idol” that stretched into the 9 p.m. hour and seemed to take a little steam out of the mystery thriller, whose ratings have fallen with each episode this season.

For “Lie,” the move is a mixed blessing. The drama won’t have nearly as much competition at 8 p.m. Wednesday, but it won’t have “Idol” for a lead-in either.

This is the first time in two years that “Lost” has faced “Idol.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE51G0WX20090217

In the trailer at the 1:34 and 2:25 mark, the studio flashes the logo for a tie-in company called Ajira Airways, which can be visited at AjiraAirways.com.  Go to the website to sign-up for updates.  Currently there is not much to the site but it is a creation of ABC.

MICHAEL GIACCHINO TO CONDUCT ORCHESTRA AT THE “81ST ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS,” AIRING SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2009, ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK

Michael Giacchino will serve as the musical director for the 81st Academy Awards telecast, producer Laurence Mark and executive producer Bill Condon announced today. Though Giacchino has composed music and conducted orchestras for both film and television, this will be his first time with the baton for the Oscar telecast and for a live broadcast.

“Michael is an extraordinarily talented and versatile musical artist,” said Mark and Condon in a joint statement. “We couldn’t be happier that he is game to come onboard.”

Last year Giacchino received an Academy Award nomination for Music Original Score for his work on the animated film “Ratatouille.” His film credits also include “Speed Racer,” “Mission: Impossible III,” “The Family Stone” and “The Incredibles.” He has also composed and conducted the scores for the upcoming “Star Trek,” “Land of the Lost” and Pixar’s “Up.” In 2005 Giacchino won an Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for ABC’s hit drama “Lost.” His credits also include work on the popular ABC series “Alias” and several interactive games, including titles in the “Medal of Honor” series.

The 81st Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009, at 5:30 a.m., PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2008/08.11.17.html

‘Lost’ ad will air during ‘Grey’s’; full song online

Two and a half years after a key placement on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” helped turn the Fray into platinum stars, the band is using another high-profile TV partnership to introduce its new single, “You Found Me.”

In a commercial break from the tense elevator confrontations of the Nov. 20 episode of “Grey’s,” a one-minute promo with scenes from the upcoming season of ABC’s “Lost” will premiere the track, as well as parts of the music video.

Viewers will be directed to ABC.com, where they can find a three-minute version of the clip as well as a link to iTunes; there they can buy the single, which goes to radio the next day.

The partnership between ABC and the Fray — vocalist-pianist Isaac Slade, guitarists Joe King and David Welsh and drummer Ben Wysocki — also includes an agreement for the band to appear on the American Music Awards, “Good Morning America” and the outdoor concert series on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” ABC will use “You Found Me” as the promo song for this season of “Lost,” and discussions are under way to use the band’s music on sister channel ESPN during the height of football season.

“Because this band appeals to everyone from 8 to 80, television really does play a great role in exposing the music to a wider audience,” Epic executive vp marketing Lee Stimmel said. “And the band writes amazing songs that work with a picture.” (Asked if he watches “Grey’s Anatomy,” Slade said, “I have seen it a few times. It’s a really good show.”)

As for the sound of the Fray — produced like the debut by Epic vp A&R Mike Flynn and Aaron Johnson — it’s “a little more extreme than the last record,” Slade said. “The quieter stuff is a little quieter than our last record and the rock stuff is a little rockier. It definitely spreads the spectrum a little bit.”

The Fray will preview the album during a tour of small venues in early January. It will be available for physical and digital preorder beginning Nov. 21 at TheFray.net; purchasers who buy the CD from the site will get a bonus disc of live recordings from the January tour.

That online integration reflects a sales history of more than 6 million digital tracks sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and the Fray scored iTunes’ top-downloaded album of 2006 with “How to Save a Life.”

source : http://www.hollywoodreporter.com