VARIETY's Owen Gleiberman noted ESPN’s five-part "O.J.: Made In America" is now the "frontrunner to win the Oscar for best documentary." The series was "conceived, and made, to be shown on television," but it was "shown in a handful of movie theaters (beginning last fall), so technically speaking it's as much a 'movie' as any documentary made this year." One could argue that "O.J.: Made in America," by "entering the documentary awards race, created an unfair playing field because it seemed to be operating according to different (that is, small-screen) rules" (VARIETY.com, 1/24).
LOMBARDI STREET: The Ringer hired Mike Lombardi to an exclusive deal that will see the NFL analyst contribute podcasts, video essays and studio show appearances for the digital media company. Lombardi, a former team exec, was a weekly guest on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” during this NFL season and also worked as an NFL analyst on FS1. In a prepared statement, The Ringer CEO Bill Simmons called Lombardi one of his most popular podcast regulars. “This was a natural evolution for him and for us,” Simmons said (John Ourand, Staff Writer).
GENTLEMAN'S SALUTE: The co-hosts of ESPN's "PTI" yesterday wished a "Happy Trails" to "The Sports Reporters," which is being canceled after almost 30 years. Tony Kornheiser: "It was the first television exposure for many writers who you see regularly today, including [Michael] Wilbon and me. ... All of us owe a great debt to this show and all the shows we are on." Wilbon: "This doesn't make us sad, it makes us angry because back then when Bristol was afraid to say anything critical about anything, this necessary commentary was outsourced to sports writers and we are thankful and grateful to have been on that show many times over the years. ... It's too bad it's going away" ("PTI," ESPN, 1/24).
