Garbage disposal maker sues NBC

The company that makes In-Sink-Erator garbage disposers is suing NBC, claiming that an episode of the new show “Heroes” makes the product look bad.

Appliance maker Emerson filed the lawsuit in a St. Louis federal court Monday, seeking to block rebroadcasts of the “Heroes” pilot. In the episode, a high-school cheerleader (Hayden Panettiere) who has the ability to withstand injury sticks her hand into an In-Sink-Erator while it’s running, mangling her fingers (which return to normal within a few seconds).

Emerson’s suit claims the scene “casts the disposer in an unsavory light, irreparably tarnishing the product” by suggesting that serious injuries will result “in the event consumers were to accidentally insert their hand into one.”

The suit, however, is more about NBC’s use of the In-Sink-Erator name than the content of the scene, the company says. “It’s a trademark thing,” spokesman Dan Callahan tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Seinfeld soups up ‘Talkshow’

Spike Feresten provided Jerry Seinfeld with one of the more memorable episodes of “Seinfeld,” and now Seinfeld will lend his one-time writer a hand by appearing on Feresten’s late-night show.

Seinfeld will be the guest on the Oct. 21 installment of “Talkshow with Spike Feresten,” the Fox show Feresten has fronted for the past few weeks. The comic will do a new piece of stand-up material and sit down with Feresten for an interview.

Fox is calling Seinfeld’s booking “a rare in-studio guest appearance.” While it’s true that Seinfeld has stayed away from the talk-show circuit this year, he’s not a recluse on the level of, say, Thomas Pynchon. He last appeared on “The Tonight Show” in November 2005 and was a guest on “Larry King Live” the following month.

He’s also supportive of Feresten’s early efforts on “Talkshow.” “He’s a really funny guy and he actually has a great thing with the audience,” Seinfeld says of Feresten.

Feresten wrote the “Soup Nazi” and “Little Kicks” episodes of “Seinfeld,” among others, and he and Seinfeld co-wrote (with Barry Marder and fellow “Seinfeld” vet Andy Robin) “Bee Movie,” an animated movie scheduled for release next year. Seinfeld also voices the lead character.

“Talkshow” airs at midnight ET Saturdays, following “MADtv.”

Fox on demand against baseball

Fox’s traditional October programming hiatus – also known as the MLB playoffs – has just begun, but already the network has planned alternatives for the baseball-phobic.

The network will make full, previously aired episodes of “Bones,” “Prison Break,” “Standoff,” “Vanished,” “Talk Show With Spike Feresten,” “‘Til Death,” “The Loop” and “Justice” available through the newly launched FOX on Demand. That’s just about every new FOX show you could want to see, assuming you have no interest in “Happy Hour.”

The episodes can be seen on an ad-supported basis through MySpace.com and the MyFoxLocal web sites in 24 owned and operated markets.

Fox is making no secret that the OnDemand gambit is that rare instance in which a network attempts to counterprogram its own programming. The network announced Tuesday that during Fox baseball broadcasts, the network plans to run promos pushing viewers to the OnDemand service.

Toyota, Burger King and Lionsgate will sponsor the episodes.

“We’re fortunate to have partners like Fox Interactive Media and our Fox Stations Group making our entertainment programming available to viewers while we turn over much of prime time to Fox Sports and post-season baseball,” says Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori. “MySpace provides tremendous exposure to our key demos and our O&O’s speak to local viewers and loyal fans of Fox in a very targeted way.”

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