Fun at Screenland

The first "Watch the Pilots with Aaron" played to a room of above-average TV watchers at the Screenland Theater tonight.  I say "above average" because a show of hands found at least a third of the audience used TiVos or other DVRs, about twice the national figure.  They'll be miles ahead when it comes to killer time periods like Mondays at 9 and Tuesdays at 8 this fall.

Speaking of above average, it's been an exceptional year for TV development, which left me with the tough task of keeping the event to two and a half hours. I almost made it. Some who attended said they lost track of everything, so here's the rundown. I showed clips from "Runaway" on CW, "Day Break" on ABC, "Jericho" and "Shark" on CBS, "Heroes" and "30 Rock" on NBC and the full pilots of "Studio 60" on NBC and "The Knights of Prosperity" on ABC.  I would've shown "Til Death" on Fox but I ran out of time, so I told everyone to just tune in tomorrow and see it for themselves.  My audience might not qualify for any focus tests, being above average and all, but their responses told me I'd made pretty good choices.

And we gave away enough swag that the custodial crew can now vacuum large swaths of my office where boxes of junk had sat previously.

There were far more ticket requests than seats for "Watch the Pilots," so if you missed out, we'll see you next year ... at a larger venue.

Speaking of sneak peeks, CBS is rolling into Kansas this weekend for a big to-do involving crop art, the governor, and a special screening of "Jericho."

NEW CBS SERIES JERICHO BREAKS GROUND IN LAWRENCE, KANSAS

45 Acre Field Taken Over by New CBS Drama

Special Sneak Peek Screening of JERICHO to Take Place in Town

WHAT: The ground-breaking new CBS drama JERICHO makes it way to the heart of Kansas when a pivotal scene from the new series is depicted on a 45 acre field near the town of Lawrence, Kansas.  The picture of a silhouetted boy standing on a rooftop with the JERICHO logo and tune-in information beneath it, has been created using plowed earth, new plants grown specifically for the project, cut crops, and other natural materials such as corn, straw and flowers. 

WHO: JERICHO star Skeet Ulrich and Kathleen Sebelius, the Governor of Kansas, will visit the site to unveil the land art. Governor Sebelius will officially proclaim that North Lawrence will change its name to Jericho for one day, to honor the premiere of the series. Following the crop art unveiling, Ulrich and Governor Sebelius will attend a special sneak peek screening of the series.

WHEN: Saturday, September 9. Press should arrive by 3:30 p.m. A helicopter will take local press up to view the land art which has been created by local Kansas artist Stan Herd.

Screening: The screening will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a performance by musician Kelly Hunt.

WHERE: Land art: Bismarck Gardens/Nunnemaker – Ross Farm –

1616 North 1700 Road, Lawrence, KS 66044. 1 ½ miles due south of the main North/South runway of the Lawrence Municipal airport.

Sneak Peek Screening of the Pilot: Lawrence Visitor Center – Union Pacific Depot - 402 North 2nd Lawrence, KS 66044. 

JERICHO, starring Skeet Ulrich, Gerald McRaney, Ashley Scott and Pamela Reed, premieres on Wednesday, September 20 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.