NBC Takes an Ax to 'Enemy' and Wipes Off 'Lipstick'

Last weekend's program, featuring an interview with top Obama advisers David Axelrod, David Plouffe and Valerie Jarrett, soared in the ratings, attracting nearly 19 million people, to become the week's No. 1-ranked program for the first time since it profiled Michael Jackson nearly five years ago. This Sunday, Steve Kroft will talk to Obama himself and the future first lady, Michelle Obama.

"60 Minutes" last interviewed Obama on Sept. 21; Kroft also conducted that one. On that same broadcast, Scott Pelley chatted with Obama's GOP rival, Sen. John McCain.

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BET finally has named its new programming chief -- and there are two of them, sort of.

Loretha Jones has been named president of programming, while Stephen Hill has been promoted to president of programming. She'll be based in Los Angeles; he'll be based in New York.

Jones will be responsible for original programming, news, development, planning and acquisitions. Hill will oversee music programming and specials which, best we can tell, is what he was doing before he stepped in to oversee programming temporarily in mid-September, when BET parted company with its entertainment president of three years, Reginald Hudlin, by "mutual decision."

Jones was named executive vice president of MTV Films/Paramount Pictures in July 2007. (MTV and Paramount, like BET, are owned by Viacom.) Before that, she was senior VP of MTV Films/MTV Home Entertainment, overseeing TV and home video projects, from May 2005 to July '07. She co-produced Spike Lee's breakout flick "School Daze" (1988) after which she produced films with Robert Townsend in the early '90s, including "The Five Heartbeats" and "Meteor Man" as well as his WB sitcom "The Parent 'Hood."

Hill, who joined BET in 1999, had been executive vice president of music programming and talent. Before joining the cable network, he spent four years at MTV as director of music programming.

"I was overwhelmed with [Jones's] passion for the brand and her experience with branded product," BET chief executive Debra Lee told The TV Column.

"She understands the youth culture, if that's still the right word, and she understands music," said Lee, who's based in Washington.

This week, BET and Marvel Animation announced that Djimon Hounsou had been signed to provide the lead voice for its new animated series, "The Black Panther," which is scheduled to premiere next year. The series will be adapted directly from the first six issues of the Marvel comic written by Hudlin.

Meanwhile, BET's first-ever original scripted series, "Somebodies," is still waiting to hear whether it will get a second-season order. In its first season, "Somebodies" averaged about 600,000 viewers over its 10 episodes, fewer than the 618,000 viewers BET has been averaging in prime time this calendar year to date.