So, if your writing can woo the editors, you could be landing regular assignments in no time – especially if you’re able to cover a show that the mag doesn’t have a writer for. An example of this is an L.A. writer who offered to travel to Albuquerque for an on-set feature of Breaking Bad. The editors gladly accepted, since they didn’t have a regular stringer for the show.

“We watch everything and make editorial choices in terms of what we’re going to feature in order to guide people to what they should be watching — what the best stuff is, what they need to be aware of, what’s becoming culturally relevant,” explained articles editor Bruce Fretts.

For more info, read How To Pitch: TV Guide. [Mediabistro AvantGuild subscription required]

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But based on the upcoming TV Guide cover from this week, you wouldn’t know that Henson was the leading lady on the show. The magazine decided not to feature her on the cover alongside her two male co-stars in Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson.

Henson took to her Facebook account in order to vent about the snub:

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Do you struggle to clear out your multiple DVR boxes each week to make room for more shows? Do you love The Walking Dead, Modern Family and everything in between? Well, TVGuide.com is looking for a new editor, who can translate his or her love for pop culture into compelling content.

If hired, you’ll be collaborating with the editorial team on breaking news, exclusive scoops and original features to drive audience growth and engagement. You’ll conceive, write and edit creative stories, while contributing to the editorial calendar and working with the marketing department on evolving social media and SEO practices.

The ideal candidate will have at least three years of deadline-driven editorial experience, preferably online, as well as top-notch editing skills and CMS knowledge. On-camera experience and a solid understanding of online metrics are major pluses. So, if you’re ready to let your passion for television and entertainment shine, Apply here.

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“The folks at E! approached me several months ago,” Laura told FishbowlLA exclusively this morning via e-mail after returning from the doctor’s office where she watched four-month-old daughter Li get vaccine shots. “I’d [also] had some informal conversations with other outlets.”

On the one hand, this has to be a bitter pill for Current TV, the cable TV network for whom Ling was reporting at the time of her apprehension on the China-North Korea border in the early morning hours of March 17th, 2009. The new E! show sounds a lot like the old Vanguard program, albeit with more of a domestic focus, and even the way the San Francisco based network quietly blogged in late January about Ling’s decision to leave her post there as Vice President spoke volumes.

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DWTS hostess Samantha Harris tells FBLA exclusively: “I’ve known Paula for years and would be ecstatic if she was on our show. She sure would up the game for the competitors but also would stir up controversy since she’s known for her choreography! A little drama is always fun to mix things up!”

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MediaPost’s Wayne Friedman suggests the TV Guide Network needs a bigger picture. Macrovision is buying the Gemstar assets, including TV Guide magazine, website and the cable network. The TV channel underperforms:

TV Guide Network is in some 81 million homes. But like some other networks of its type and size–Hallmark Channel, for instance–it grabs on average just 3 cents a subscriber per month from cable operators. Last year TV Guide Network pulled in a modest $130 million in national advertising revenue.

Friedman doesn’t mention that the programming sucks (Lisa Lips Rinna and stale VH1 reality shows don’t cut it). Sorry for the inelegant phrasing. The magazine and website are doing well, with lively writing and personalities, but pulling the plug on the mortibund cable channel would be the best plan.

Bill Hamilton comments that Hallmark Channel provides a quality product, which leads to commercial success. What a novel strategy! But that requires hiring executives and producers with a functioning brain stem, and you know how troubling that can be.

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TV Guide surveys the Presidential hopefuls and finds out that they watch TV.

Hillary Clinton is a fan of HGTV makeover shows, Grey’s Anatomy, American Idol, and Dancing with the Stars, but her all-time TV favorite is The Ed Sullivan Show. And she lies like a rug.

Barack Obama tells TV Guide that his favorite TV character of all time is “SpongeBob SquarePants, because SpongeBob is the show I watch with my daughters.” His favorite TV shows of all time are M*A*S*H and The Wire. Cute answer, but we’re not buying it.

John Edwards is a fan of Boston Legal, and tells TV Guide that his viewing guilty pleasure is “Fred Thompson on Law & Order.” This has to be the wittiest thing he’s ever said.

Dennis Kucinich is a fan of late-night TV, citing The Tonight Show, Late Show, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Saturday Night Live as his favorites. “When I get a chance to watch TV, it’s usually late in the evening,” he tells TV Guide. “Those shows have brilliant writers. It’s just great to watch them.” He also adds that he doesn’t mind being the punch line of their jokes. “It’s hilarious. I take what I do seriously, but I don’t take myself seriously.” He”s SOOL with the strike and too cheap to get Tivo.

John McCain lists Prison Break among his favorite TV shows “because as a fellow prisoner, I always dreamed and plotted how I would break out of the Hanoi Hilton,” he tells TV Guide. Sadly, we believe him.

Mitt Romney tells TV Guide he is a fan of Lost because it has “a very captivating plot, and if you live a busy life, escape is always welcome.” You were expecting The Dog Whisperer?

Fred Thompson’s favorite TV show is SportsCenter. He tells TV Guide, “I always need to stay up on my Titans, Vols, Vanderbilt and, of course, my Memphis Tigers.” We believe him, but wish we didn’t.

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The WGA members seem to be worried about their public image. Maybe if they start the picket lines before 9 (like when the Teamsters go to work), the strikers might be taken more seriously. And lose the lattes and the Blackberries.

United Hollywood suggests there’ll be chaos. They wish.

We stand corrected: a picketer got hit by some crazed fool who must really hate reruns.

TV Guide has a handy guide for viewers, whoever they are.

At The Artful Writer, Craig Mazin’s blog, commentors seem to think journalists are all against them, because Big Media Corporate Owners want movie ad revenue. Which explains why so few journalists want to write for the movies.

The NYT piece shows the need for a re-write on the chant:

No money? No downloads. No downloads? No peace.

Wired’s guy in LA tries to prove that he knows what he’s writing about.

Gawker is chortling because there won’t be an Amy Winehouse SNL.

Twitter has a WritersStrike post.

The LA Times has news of an apologetic reality show worker crossing a picket line–like the WGA would do the same for her.

Tom Bomb has some viewing suggestions if the thought of re-runs is disheartening. On the other hand, if you’ve ignored most of the crap on TV, it’ll all be fresh if you watch now.

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HowStuffWorks.com was acquired by Discovery for $250 million, and is supposed to be “quickly incorporated into programming”. Owners of the site include investor Carl Icahn, and was founded in 1998 by the aptly named Marshall Brain.

Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment is pitching Hitch as a sitcom, but without Smith on camera, only as EP.

HEROES will soon become a graphic novel, written by creator Tim Kring along with Michael Turner and Phil Jimenez. The book is expected out in the UK on November 23rd.

TV Guide launches Hollywood 411, a one-hour daily entertainment news magazine show, in January, and it’s not supposed to be related to the trade directory of the same name. The show will be hosted by Madison Michele and cover entertainment and celebrity news from TV, film and music. Jerry Burke is the EP.

Benjamin Bratt joins ABC’s The Cleaner, to star as a guy who after hitting rock bottom from his addictions, makes a deal with God to help himself and others.

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Gervais To Tell the Truth
On the heels of four Emmy nominations for his Extras series, Ricky Gervais has committed to co-direct and star in This Side of the Truth for Media Rights Capital. Gervais will share the director’s chair with Matt Robinson on the pic, which is set in a contemporary world where no one has ever lied. Imagine that!

Party On, Emmy
Variety TV guru Joe Adalian gives the deets on Emmy night, breaking down the post-show party circuit. He writes that the real battle is between Entertainment Tonight/People and “feisty newcomer” TV Guide. Both bashes have big-name talent on board to entertain. Read the rest here.

Quarterlife Finds MySpaceTV.com
Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, well known for their work on My So-Called Life and thirtysomething are taking their accomplished TV act to the Internet: the duo has set up their series Quarterlife to debut on MySpaceTV.com. It’s a rather interesting – if not unprecendented – move for such TV heavyweights. Find out when and why here.

- CHRIS GARDNER

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TV Guide is tossing its hat into the ring with a Les Deux-set soiree that will feature a “special private performance” by John Legend, the mag announced this week. In addition to the Grammy winner, the small-screen publication has again recruited the “Band From TV” to hit the stage for a second year in a row.

In case you don’t know, that group consists of TV regulars-turned-rockers Hugh Laurie, James Denton, Greg Grunberg and Bob Guiney with lead vocals by Bonnie Sommerville, star of the upcoming Cashmere Mafia on ABC. Oh, and if that’s not enough music for one night, celeb DJ Samantha Ronson will be in the house as well.

- CHRIS GARDNER

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TV Guide has dropped Joan Rivers and daughter Melissa in favor of Lisa Rinna and her lips.

Rinna will take her first walk down the red carpet on Sept. 16, when she hosts TV Guide’s pre-coverage of the Emmy Awards. Which is nice for her, as she’s unlikely to get anywhere near a red carpet otherwise. And it’s nice for TV Guide, as she’ll be glad to share screen space with the crawl.

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Sorry, Jenny McCarthy. Looks like Swanson has a leg up on you for the Anna Nicole biopic.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, eps of American Idol, will produce the Emmys. Look for a special call-in segment where America choses someone to do something.

Max Mutchnick, creator of Will and Grace, revisits his own life for a CBS pilot about a straight guy and his gay writing partner. Will and Grace was totally different as it was based on his sister’s life. Maybe he’ll try something Animal Planet next.

Marc Cherry plans to spend his twilight years ABC windfall writing musicals. He signed with the network for 4 more years at a deal rumored to exceed $15 million. No Housewives: The Musical is planned, but wait til the cash runs out.

Brian Lowry exposes the secret behind Oprah’s success–daytime talk is for stupid people–as he analyzes her show featuring psychics.

TV Guide Channel ordered a new reality series from Magical Elves–America’s Next Producer. Prizes include $100k in cash, an office in Hollywood, and a first-look deal with the network–where half the progamming is a crawl. YouTube gets better numbers.

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