Murder on the studio floor
July 22, 2008
A pitch for a new TV show often starts with ‘it’s this meets that’. For example, Project Runway is a Victoria Secret Show meets Idol or Wipeout is It’s A Knockout meets Judge Judy (wait til someone sues for permanent injury and the judge has to ask when they thought it was going wrong). Taking this into account, you can imagine the pitch for the UK’s new show Diet on the Dance Floor. It’s Strictly Come Dancing (Dancing With the Stars) meets The Biggest Loser. Over eight episodes tubby contestants sweat it out in choreographed fashion and dance off against one another each week. Both dance style and weight loss will be considered in deciding who gets sent home. As they progress, the dance routines will get more physically challenging as the outfits will undoubtedly get skimpier.
It’s a bit like your slightly tubby uncle meets a patch of sticky carpet late at night in any suburban pub.
Holding out for a hero…who rocks
July 18, 2008
When we first heard about Jerry Springer the Opera it had to be a joke…until the fixture of trashy daytime tv moved from small theatres in England to a sellout season on Broadway. Just like melding Disney characters with ice, it seems that putting narratives we know and love to music is a sure-fire winner.
The latest all-singing, all dancing, strangely juxtaposed sensation being brought to life in the US is Spiderman, the Musical. Out of all the superhero choices, it makes sense to expand on the original catchy theme tune that seamlessly incorporated lyrics like ‘radioactive blood’.
The really big news for everyone, apart from Tobey MGuire and Kirsten Dunst, is that they are holding open auditions for the starring roles. If you, or someone you know, can combine shooting webs from their wrists with a great rock singing voice, then this is the moment they’ve been waiting for. Casting will take place in New York on July 28 (10a-5p) at The Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street. The directors are looking for their Peter Parker (male, 16-20s); Mary Jane (female 16-20s); and a mysterious Principal woman (25-35) where the brief is “think Sinead O’Connor with a Middle Eastern/Bulgarian/Greek twist”. Perhaps a lady with a shaved head, an angelic tone and one hit will be Spidey’s on-stage nemesis.
With music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge, the final product promises to be a multi-cultural mix that should attract more than an incy wincy following. I hope someone is filming this…
Do we need another Heather Mills?
July 14, 2008
BBC3 last week launched a new beauty talent search with a twist - BRITAIN’S MISSING TOP MODEL. Eight spunky girls, each with a disability, battle it out to become England’s next top model. The show’s first episode premiered well, delivering 30% above the broadcaster’s average. It certainly appears that having a limb missing doesn’t affect a contestant’s ability to bitch and moan. The first few minutes preview the entire series. Is it empowering to watch imperfect women getting photographed in underwear or nude? Will we be inspired by watching them roll down the catwalk? And how did they find a wheelchair accessible penthouse for the girls to share??
A possible way to save Big Brother
July 14, 2008
In this article, a US journalist attends an intensive press launch for Big Brother USA, and suggests that locking up the producers could lead to the Next Big Thing…
Nat must be Peachy keen
July 10, 2008
Joe E. Tata (above) who played Nat, owner of the Peach Pit, for 10 years on the original Beverly Hills 90210 has been attached to the re-incarnated series. According to IMDB he’s had one guest appearance on TV since 2001, so he must be stoked. Unfortunately Tori Spelling has pulled out, but Shannen Doherty and Jenni Garth are both rumoured to be moving back to that special zip code.
Airing between 1990 and 2000, 90210 was one of the first mainstream dramas to tackle controversial topics like AIDS, date rape, drug abuse and teen pregnancy. In the wake of Gossip Girl and the OC, it’ll be interesting to see how far the stories will have to go this time to capture the audience’s attention.
If this promo is anything to go by, those first few bars of the familiar theme song will have many of us suckered from the get-go.
Kath and Kim get supersized
July 9, 2008
Shortly after the first episode of the US version of K & K wrapped, NBC upped its order from 6 eps to 13. After enjoying both the original British and American versions of The Office, will we be able to embrace this glossier take on the suburban lifestyle?
Are you for real?
July 9, 2008
Last week Fox Reality Channel in the US announced that it had commissioned a new series that pits former reality tv ’stars’ against one another to win their very own reality TV show. Obviously they are casting from a very shallow pool of those who were voted off early, because anyone vaguely talented has already been booked for a high profile gig on something like Celebrity Singing Bee or Hole In The Wall. Since production doesn’t start until later in the year there may be time to get involved. A new service offered by The Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills may qualify you for Fox. As part of their newly launched Academy program, US$2500 buys you an Emmy award winning crew who’ll document your antics for 24 hours. Like all good reality fodder, the raw footage will be retained by the producers and you’ll be given edited package that surely will only highlight your best qualities.
Their pain is our audience gain
July 3, 2008
Wipeout is the latest show from Endemol that’s being rolled out around the world. The idea behind it was to come up with a show that would create hugely popular clips for YouTube. Obviously they couldn’t get away with anything too sexy and there was no format that lent itself to cute animal montages. So, this cross between It’s a Knockout and Gladiators is their new lawsuit waiting to happen. Similarly to how multiple versions of Survivor are made, the Wipeout set is located in Argentina and will be used by all other territories that want to make a local version of the show. It’s hard to say whether the cheap production costs in South America or the lack of OHS laws were the prime motivation for this move.
If you can’t wait, the entire first episode is already online, so mission accomplished. The US series which has done frighteningly well in the states will be screened on Ch 9 starting next Tuesday at 7.30pm. This will be closely followed by a call for Aussie contestants who are willing to travel to Argentina after signing a comprehensive waiver. Here’s a little something to get you in the mood…
Only in America
July 1, 2008
With an actor’s strike looming in a post-writer’s strike world, there’s one thing for certain - more reality television. One New Yorker has embraced this opportunity whole heartedly by running classes for wannabe contestants.
If you’ve ever chosen to use your time to wince at Idol auditions, learn business skills from The Trump or feel superior to The Real Housewives of Orange County, then dedicate a few minutes to this brilliant article.
The Apprentice
My day at reality-TV school.
By Troy Patterson
The mind behind Big Brother wants to read your thoughts
June 30, 2008
It used to be that everyone had a book in them. Now, thanks to user-generated-content and global media saturation, we are led to believe that we all have something worthy of shooting, editing and being watched. In other words, an idea for a TV show.
One man who knows all too well how difficult it is to make it big on TV is John De Mol - originally one half of the production giant Endemol. He was one of the founding fathers of Big Brother - a scribble called The Golden Cage that initally appeared on a page in a 1997 brainstorm session. Two years later it appeared on Dutch television and it took a further three years to invade other territories.
De Mol eventually left Endemol and set up his new venture Talpa and now he wants to hear your ideas for reality programming, via his public access site - www.talpacreative.com .
There’s not much on offer until you register as a user, which means giving over your email address and a reason why you should be part of the collective creative. Then you wait. It only took me an hour to be given a password, but in that time I did think that maybe I wasn’t going to make it. How am I going to go if I actually send them an idea?… which I am obligated to do twice a month if I want to keep the subscritption. And you can’t just put in one liners. Every thought has to be supported by a title, logline, a fleshed out page or two plus a description of your relationship with TV.
The incentive is that there’s $50 000 up for grabs, although it’s not clear if that’s for one great idea or for all players to split. If Talpa US like the sound of the idea (and no one in their global company has had a vaguely related idea according to the Terms and Conditions) they’ll produce it on De Mol’s own tv network in The Netherlands. If it’s a hit it’ll be a fast track to global domination and hopefully a timeslot in a country where you get to see your handy work.
So for you to succeed, the Dutch have to like it. Perhaps the I can increase the chance of success if I pitch an idea inspired by their lifestyle. Something about surviving in a concrete shell - Dutch rental properties come totally empty - no carpet, no stoves, no nothing. Surely something about stopping global warming would be hot - the rising oceans are going to hit hard in a country that is 80% below sea level. My other thought is a program that captures the local ethos of living with your curtains open. Take a night time walk around any suburb in the Netherlands and you’re likely to see more than what’s on show in the Red Light district. Oh, I guess Big Brother already did that.
Let me know if what’s in your head leads you to get your hands on any of that Talpa cash.
