Bravo has announced that it will launch the Independent Film Channel on Sept. 1.
IFC, a premium channel like HBO and Showtime, will cablecast 30-35 feature-length movies a month.Already associated with IFC as members of its Filmmakers Advisory Board are Martin Scorcese, Robert Altman, Joel and Ethan Coen, Martha Coolidge, Spike Lee, Steven Soderbergh and Ed Saxon.
None of this is terribly relevant to most Utah cable subscribers, at least not in the near future. (Most Utahns can't even get Bravo on their local cable systems.)
But it does have some relevance to one Utahn - Robert Redford. Redford has talked of his plans to create a Sundance Channel devoted entirely to independent films.
Is there room for two such channels, even in the 500-channel universe that's supposedly coming our way? Probably not, particularly when IFC had already made agreements that tie up much of the available product out there.
It looks like Redford was beaten to the punch.
CINDERELLA STORY: CBS, which brought a quality production of "Gypsy" to TV in December with Bette Midler in the lead, is heading back to Broadway.
Whitney Houston will star in a new made-for-TV version of "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella," which will air sometime next season on the network.
There will be some updates - apparently including the addition of some new music - to the show, which has already been done twice for television. Julie Andrews starred in the 1957 version and Lesley Anne Warren in the 1965 version.
(Quick quiz: Who played Prince Charming in the 1965 version? See answer below.)
In other CBS/Broadway news, rumor is that Midler will return in either a remake of "Mame" or "Annie Get Your Gun." And Variety is reporting that Kevin Kline will star in a new version of "Man of La Mancha."
This is the sort of television trend we can applaud.
"DINOSAURS" RETURN: ABC canceled "Dinosaurs" months ago, but the series returns to the network next month with a batch of new episodes.
The show will be seen Wednesdays at 7 p.m. beginning June 1.
But, after these episodes run out, that's it. There will be no reprieve.
YEAH, RIGHT: CBS, believe it or not, says it will bring back Tom Arnold's sitcom "Tom" at midseason next year if the final three episodes do great ratings when they air next month.
And that's about as likely as Ed Sullivan guest hosting for David Letterman.
After its first nine episodes, the soon-to-be ex-Mr. Roseanne is averaging a 7.5 rating - ranking "Tom" 97th out of 129 series that have aired on the four networks this season.
QUIZ ANSWER: Stuart Damon, who's played Dr. Alan Quartermaine on "General Hospital" since 1977.