On NBC's Lineup, 'Pride' but No Shame

NEW YORK, May 17

In what has to be a broadcast network first, NBC on Monday trotted out a partially paralyzed mauling victim as part of its dog-and-pony show to promote its new prime-time lineup to advertisers.

Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn talked to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall via satellite about NBC's new animated Tuesday comedy, "Father of the Pride." It's about a pride of white lions that perform in the "world famous 'Siegfried and Roy' show," NBC Universal's king of all things television, Jeff Zucker, told the packed hall.

Of course he meant their former Vegas show; it's been shut down since one of the couple's rare white felines mauled and very nearly killed Horn during a performance in October; Horn suffered a stroke as a result of the attack. But, through the magic of CGI animation and General Electric, the "Siegfried & Roy" show lives on in a cartoon that seems frozen in a time before the attack. In clips shown to advertisers, jokes took on a tacky inappropriateness, as when Animated Roy says to Animated Lion Family, "Goodbye my lions, or should I say 'GRRRRRR!,' " as he crouches down and tries to look like a wild cat.

On an enormous screen at Radio City, the extremely made-over cat tamers prattled on merrily about this and that. Both men were seated; Horn's left arm and parts of the left side of his face appeared paralyzed. In truth, he, too, looked computer-generated in his eyeglasses with rainbow-colored frames.

It was virtually impossible to tell what the two were saying, but that didn't matter to NBC; it just wanted advertisers to see that Horn was able to speak. "Father of the Pride" is, after all, the 9 p.m. tent pole of its Tuesday lineup -- the latest attempt to get some traction on the night.

After Siegfried and Roy's short, uncomfortable-making appearance, Zucker announced that NBC will broadcast a special about Horn, the tiger incident and his recovery, right before "Father of the Pride" debuts. Reportedly, California first lady Maria Shriver will conduct the interview with Horn, and because she stepped down from NBC News after her husband's election, it will be produced for NBC Entertainment. Clever how NBC got around that one, yes?

"He's been horribly mauled -- let's make a show about it!" O'Brien said, pretending to be an NBC suit, to nervous tittering in the audience.

"He might die!

"We know!

"If that show works, they're going to make another show -- about Billy Joel's car!"

"Father of the Pride" is one of only four "comedies" on the fall lineup of the network that once boasted 16 sitcoms.

"Scrubs," which Zucker announced Monday has been picked up for two more seasons, follows "Father of the Pride" at 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays. "Friends" spinoff "Joey" will kick off Thursday nights, followed by returning "Will & Grace."