Tuning In

Hudlin’s bets on BET

Veteran film director Reginald Hudlin’s selection as the new chief programmer for BET is getting good reviews from industry observers, Reuters News Agency reports.

Mr. Hudlin, whose films include “Serving Sara,” “The Great White Hype” and “Boomerang,” will oversee all of the Viacom-owned network’s programing divisions, including development and acquisition of series, music, sports and news. He will split his time among BET’s production hubs in New York and Los Angeles and its headquarters in Northeast.

“For me, the opportunity to work on such a giant canvas, in the form of a 24/7 network, is just incredible,” Mr. Hudlin told Reuters. “It’s a great entrepreneurial opportunity.”

Mr. Hudlin has kept busy in television recently as executive producer of the upcoming series adaptation of the comic strip “The Boondocks” for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block and as a director of episodes of “Everybody Hates Chris,” UPN’s buzzed-about sitcom that will be executive-produced by Chris Rock and is scheduled to premiere in the fall.

Several of Mr. Hudlin’s films, including “Boomerang,” have been hailed for deflating black stereotypes.

By contrast, BET has been a lightning rod for critics who claim the network perpetuates racist stereotypes with an abundance of titillating music videos and a dwindling supply of regular news programing.

“Throughout most of its history, BET did not live up to its potential,” Darnell Hunt, a UCLA professor who has conducted numerous studies of representation of race in the media, told Reuters. “It never really became the multipurpose entertainment resource that a lot of African Americans hoped it would become.”

BET, which is available in 80 million homes, has been making noise in recent months about expansion of its original programing efforts, particularly with series such as “The Ultimate Hustler,” a hip-hop-flavored re-imagining of “The Apprentice.”

Michael Jenkinson, a former 20th Century Fox film executive who runs Urban Entertainment, said he believes Mr. Hudlin can bring a newly refined sensibility to the network.

“If you look at his body of work, he’s someone who can help broaden their audience significantly,” Mr. Jenkinson told Reuters. “He has very sophisticated taste, and I think that he can bring to the table some meaningful highbrow programing.”

Ratings not INXS

Looks like the public isn’t losing any sleep over INXS finding a new lead singer.

The group joined forces with reality-show king Mark Burnett to create “Rock Star: INXS,” in which amateurs audition to take the place of the late Michael Hutchence.

Monday’s “Rock Star” debut on CBS came in second behind Fox’s competing summer entry, “Hell’s Kitchen,” Reuters reports.

“Rock Star,” centering on the Australian band’s search for a new frontman, or woman, opened to 5.5 million viewers and a 2.4 rating/7 share in the adults 18-to-49 demographic, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research.

The show’s numbers were moving in the right direction at the 9:30 p.m. half-hour mark, when “Rock Star’s” 18-to-49 demo score climbed from a 2.2 to a 2.6 from 9 to 9:30 p.m. At the same time, the series lost ground in viewers from its 8:30 p.m. lead-in, a repeat of the comedy “Two and a Half Men.”

Schneider’s teen spirit

Rob Schneider isn’t a teenager anymore, but his silly pratfalls have made him a favorite of youngsters everywhere.

That connection led the makers of Fox’s 2005 Teen Choice Awards to tap him as this year’s co-host. Current teen darling Hilary Duff will share the duties with the former “Saturday Night Live” star.

The duo will hand out the Choice Liplock, Choice Movie Chemistry and Choice Male Hottie awards among others during the Los Angeles ceremony Aug. 16.

Gwen Stefani will kick off the show with a performance of “Hollaback Girl” and also will be honored with the Teen Choice Visionary Award.

Miss Duff, 18, won the Choice Movie Breakout Performance award in 2003 for her role in “The Lizzie McGuire Movie.” She recently starred in the films “Raise Your Voice” and “The Perfect Man.”

Mr. Schneider, 41, is best-known as “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,” a role he’ll reprise next month in “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo.”

Compiled by Christian Toto from staff and wire reports.