For the first time in years, there will be no celebrities pitching their talk shows at next week's National Association of Television Programming Executives conference next week. The trend follows a string of high-profile failures of shows hosted by Jane Pauley, Tony Danza and Megan Mullally, all of which lasted two or less seasons. While a big name can attract viewers initially, most of thses programs went downhill ffrom there. That lesson of past celebrity flops seems to be that no matter how big the name, the show won't work unless it plays to the strength of that …

The end of the National Football League's regular season on New Year's Eve brought with it the close of ESPN's stranglehold on national cable ratings. For the first time since the sports net began running "Monday Night Football," ESPN last week was out of contention for the top ad-supported cable spot--and even dropped out of the top 10 with an average prime time audience of 1.05 million total viewers and a 0.9 household rating. However, it still got the most-watched program on cable last week as the Outback Bowl delivered about 5.7 million viewers and 2.72 million …

Cable systems' ad-supported video-on-demand offerings are starting to heat up--with money--as they begin to lure in blue-chip and packaged-goods marketers. Cablevision, which launched a VOD ad platform only a year ago with Porsche as its first sponsor, has signed on two dozen national advertisers since, including the U.S. Navy, Unilever and Kraft. "Over the past six months, we cracked the code on a variety of different categories: Sony Bravia, Jet Blue, American Express, Bertolli," says Barry Frey of Cablevision, which offers not just the chance to advertise around programming, but also its own individual advertiser-branded channels.

The National Association of Realtors is rolling out a $40 million ad blitz, pushing Americans to buy houses amid an ongoing real-estate slump. The campaign includes $26 million in television advertising--double what the group spent in 2006--and ads start next week. NAR president Pat Combs says that now is a good time for consumers to buy a home, given low interest rates and high inventories: "You can walk into a marketplace and have a choice what you buy." The campaign rolls out as the U.S. real-estate market weathers a downturn, with sales of existing homes down …

Throughout this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Lydia Loizides will be contributing live posts to her Media Technology Futuresblog. Check back throughout the day for fresh updates.

In the midst of a sales slump, Pizza Hut is going after rival chains Domino's and Papa John's, mentioning them by name in a new ad campaign calling itself "America's favorite pizza." The TV effort, which began on New Year's Eve, replaced the "Go for the good stuff" campaign. In the new spots, the red roof from the Pizza Hut logo slammed on houses where people are eating its pan pizzas. Domino's and Papa John's delivery guys are also seen eating Pizza Hut and saying: "Now this is real pan pizza. Sure tastes better ... more toppings too." …

In a deal between TiVo and Comcast, the cable operator has unveiled a new cable box that runs TiVo's digital-video-recorder--and ad-zapping-- software. While the collaboration between the two was announced almost two years ago, the actual technology is being rolled out this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It could boost the fortunes of TiVo, which has been facing tough competition from cheaper DVRs provided by cable and satellite TV operators, including Comcast. Soon, Comcast subscribers will be able to add TiVo DVR features to their existing set-top boxes, and while the actual launch plans …

As its agency review continues, Wal-Mart is running a pair of political-style ads aimed at boosting the company's public image. The spots include one named "Sam's Dream," in which the narrator notes the world's largest retailer "all began with a big dream in a small town, Sam's Dream." Later, the narrator adds: "When Wal-Mart comes to town it's like getting a nice pay raise." Another execeution, "One Company," has Wal-Mart touting its recent health-care initiatives and claims it has "moved 150,000 uninsured employees into a company-sponsored health plan." The national effort is a shift away from recent campaigns …

The most successful brand integration in a TV show last year--the one that generated the greatest positive shift in consumer opinion--was by CVS. The drugstore chain provided free post-surgery medication to a patient on the ABC reality show "Miracle Workers" and, according to data from by IAG Research, delivered the greatest percentage of viewers who both recalled the brand and cited a positive shift in their opinion of it. It hit a 330 Brand Opinion Index among viewers 13 years or older, compared to an average 100. CVS topped a GMC effort on Bravo's "Queer Eye for the …

A much-fussed-over spat with Rosie O'Donnell couldn't help Donald Trump's ratings for the for the sixth-season premiere of "The Apprentice" on Sunday night. The show cratered to its worst-ever premiere among households. "The Apprentice" averaged just a 4.1 rating among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen overnights, with 5.7 among households, down 8% from last year. The 90-minute premiere quickly shed 20% of its lead-in from "Grease: You're the One That I Want." The show has now declined in every season since arriving on the scene in 2004, fronted by the supposedly business-savvy Trump. (Ironically, that was …