The proliferation of imported shows that gained steam during the writers strike is still continuing with CBS ordering up two dramatic pilots based on programs from overseas. One, "Ny-Lon," comes from a 2004 British series that features a trans-Atlantic romance and will be produced by ABC Studios. Meanwhile, "Mythological X" from 20th Century Fox TV has its origins in Israel. It is about a woman whom a psychic tells will marry a man she has already dated. And the Tiffany Network has also ordered up the drama "Can Openers," which focuses on a young female neurosurgical resident.

A group of Texas homebuilders who are tired of reading about the housing downturn has launched a new ad campaign in the hopes of attracting buyers with a more positive message. The Homebuilders Association of Metro Dallas, in conjunction with builders, developers and financial institutions, are funding a "DFW BUY NOW" effort that will run in newspapers, magazines, broadcast and on billboards. They hope the program will help counter the negative publicity about the housing market that they believe is hurting business. "The national press' blanket coverage of the dire circumstances in other markets has discouraged prospective buyers …

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is spending freely on advertising in the key states of Ohio and Texas. He is also putting some of his money into gay media. Targeted ad buys in the two states ahead of the March 4 primaries feature print executions in gay newspapers in four large markets: Columbus, Cleveland, Dallas, and Houston. Full-page ads will appear starting this Friday. Says Obama's LGBT steering committee member Eric Stern, they will be "the icing on the cake" in terms of the Senator's outreach gay communities in Ohio and Texas. "It's a direct appeal to LGBT …

If 2007 will be remembered as one of falling classified revenues, staff cuts, lower margins squeezed operating margins slumping stock prices for the newspaper industry, it wasn't all bad. While the big metro dailies were taking it on their collective chins, some smaller-fry out in the provinces did just fine. For instance, says Edward Seaton, editor-in-chief of The Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury and part owner of six other dailies in the Plains States, "We had the best year we've ever had financially, not just at the Mercury, but for all of our papers." And John Tompkins, …

NBC comedy "Scrubs" is off to rival network ABC, according to insiders, with the Alphabet Net in talks to pick up 18 episodes of the show from its corporate sibling ABC Studios, which has produced the series since 2001. A show switching broadcast networks is quite rare, with the few previous examples including "JAG" from NBC to CBS and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" from The WB to UPN. The writers strike cut short the final season of "Scrubs," to just 12 episodes and insiders say the network has been reluctant to order any more. ABC has been …

CBS is turning to pay cable net Showtime for programming again, this time in a deal with mixed martial arts promoter ProElite that will bring the sport -- the fastest-growing in the country -- to broadcast TV for the first time. According to the mixed martial arts site MMAjunkie, ProElite -- which partnered in 2006 with Showtime to create the Elite Xtreme Combat -- will now create events for CBS to air in prime time every other month. The deal could be announced next week, although neither CBS nor Showtime execs are talking yet. If the deal goes …

Robert Jarvik, the inventor of the artificial heart, is defending his role in an ad campaign for Pfizer's Lipitor that was yanked from the air as the result of a congressional probe into whether it was misleading. Jarvik had appeared in the spots as a doctor offering medical advice. While he did attend med school, he isn't actually licensed to practice medicine. "I assure the public, from the bottom of my heart, that I have been sincere and honest in my role as Lipitor spokesman," Jarvik says. He adds that the campaign "fairly represents me as a world-recognized …

Pepe Jeans is going with a more upscale look and new ad campaign to attract those young contemporary consumers who gravitated toward premium brands. Hala Jbara, the company's U.S. director of marketing says Pepe has "stepped away from some of the fashion bells and whistles...and focused on the details." He adds that the new styles are an attempt to achieve a more vintage look and the wide selection on offered by retailers forced company's hand. "[Retailers] had to become very broad and offer a lot of things to a lot of different people," Jbara says. To reach …