Cameras begin rolling today in Vancouver, British Columbia. Cast members Nolan Gerard Funk, Tammin Sursok, Victoria Justice, Simon Curtis, and Greg Germann lead a remarkable supporting cast of singing and dancing talent in the family musical for Nickelodeon.
TLC’s Slate: Driving A Hybrid
Anthony Crupi
APRIL 07, 2008 -
TLC’s Ambitious Upfront slate is designed to provide even more targeted programming to the network’s increasingly younger-skewing female audience, while building on recent ratings gains. Discovery Nets ad sales president Joe Abruzzese is particularly enthused about the untitled Real Simple project, noting that the partnership with the magazine “is an opportunity to try out so many interesting ideas,” adding that the Time Inc. brand “is a perfect extension of what TLC is all about. It should be a fun model to sell.”
Abruzzese says he’s also a fan of Scott Sternberg Productions’ The Singing Office, which has Joey Fatone and Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown attached as hosts. While at first blush the premise sounds a bit squirrely––Fatone and Brown hunt for unsung musical talent in America’s office parks and boardrooms––the show is based on a wildly popular Dutch format.
TLC president, gm Angela Shapiro-Mathes singles out another new strip that is also a departure for the net. When it premieres later this year, Single Moms will be TLC’s first dating show. “It focuses on women who are either divorced or widowed, and they have young children,” she says. “They’re not only looking for a companion, but also a chance to find a father figure for their children.”
TLC will try a hybrid genre on for size with Your Place or Mine?, which fuses the game-show format with home renovation. Your Place pits two teams against each other for a chance to win full-room makeovers. Although TLC has American Chopper lined up for a fifth season, it’s unlikely to return the other programs in its Thursday night “Turbo” block. Abruzzese says Turbo is being scrapped because “those shows don’t make a really good fit with TLC’s female-leaning audience.” Chopper will be aligned in a block devoted to unusual lives and lifestyles, rubbing elbows with the likes of returning series L.A. Ink and new entries Ashley Paige and Napoleon Complex.
In addition to the new projects in the hopper for 2008, TLC is going back to the well with the creators of some of its signature series. The network is working on an unnamed project with Chopper executive producer Craig Piligian and is in conversations with Jon & Kate Plus 8 executive producer Bill Hayes about a second series.
Along with cable’s best engagement stats among adults 18-49, Abruzzese also has a promising story in TLC’s recent youthful trend. In the last three years, the net has dropped its median age to 38 from 42.5. Moreover, TLC viewers tend upwardly mobile, boasting a median income of $63,000 per year, well above the U.S. median ($46,000). —AC
Discovery announces new shows at upfront
By Kimberly Nordyke
April 8, 2008
Discovery Communications Tuesday highlighted a slew of new programming across all of its networks — including Discovery Channel, TLC and the soon-to-launch Planet Green — during its upfront presentation to advertisers at the Beverly Wilshire.
TLC said it is shaking up its schedule with an “aggressive” slate of programming and a scheduling strategy that creates new opportunities for advertisers to be integrated into the network’s programming. Network executives said they’re building a new brand that “creates an environment with a sense of humor and a home for real-life, feel-good reality,” with the brand and content being organized into themed nights.
Monday will be the night for the network’s most successful family-based comedy-reality series along with new shows in that theme, Friday centers on makeovers, and Saturday is themed around home and decorating. The other nights will focus on relationships, careers and entertaining and include new genres like competition and games.
Returning series include family reality shows “Little People, Big World” and “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” makeover series “What Not to Wear,” home-design shows “Trading Spaces” and “Flip That House.” New to the schedule will be makeover series “Real Simple,” home-design series “Your Place or Mine?” and the Bob Guiney-hosted “Date My House,” relationship show “Single Moms” and career-themed “The Singing Office,” from Scott Sternberg.
Falling into what TLC calls the “unusual lives” programs are returning series “L.A. Ink” and “American Chopper” and the new shows “Ashley Paige,” about a bikini designer, and the tentatively titled “Napoleon Complex,” which follows students at a makeup academy.
Among the new series at Discovery Channel are “Expeditions With Josh Bernstein,” featuring the former History Channel personality that moved to Discovery last year; “How Stuff Works,” based on the Web site; “Prototype This!” in which inventors and engineers try to create innovative prototypes; “One Way Out,” centering on extreme escape artist Jonathan Goodwin; and “Time Warp,” which plays with time to lets viewers see events that normally happen way too quickly or slowly, like the break of a matchstick.
Newly announced event specials include “Inside Planet Earth,” “Nature’s Greatest Events,” “Raging Planet,” “Colony” and “Koppel on Discovery,” featuring Ted Koppel. “An Inconvenient Truth,” the documentary starring Al Gore, also will be making its premiere on Discovery.
Those programs join the recently announced the six-part series “Coal” and event special “Iditarod”.
Planet Green, the eco-friendly network launching June 4, has recruited a slew of well-known personalities to host or star in various environmental-themed series and specials. Adrian Grenier is starring in the tentatively titled “The Green Life,” in which the “Entourage” star and a team of experts will help celebrities and regular people learn how to transition to a “green” lifestyle.
Tom Green is set to host the tentatively titled game show “The Tom Green Project,” and Bill Nye will star in “Stuff Happens,” showing what happens to everyday things before and after we consume them. Green also has joined up with Tom Brokaw for a series of specials following on the heels of Discovery Channel’s “Global Warming: What You Need to Know with Tom Brokaw.”
Also on the slate is weekly entertainment magazine “Hollywood Green With Maria Menounos,” a partnership with “Access Hollywood.”
They join the previously announced “Wa$ted,” hosted by Annabelle Gurwitch; “Supper Club With Tom Bergeron”; “Battleground Earth: Ludacris vs. Tommy Lee”; and “Greensburg,” from Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, and Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Films & Television.
March 31, 2008
NY Magazine’s The Industry…
Nick Gunning for HSM:
Back in 2006, Lion Share set up a little project at Nickelodeon called Spectacular!, and no one cared. That’s because no one knew the TV movie was a high-school musical like, well, High School Musical. Robert Iscove will direct a cast of mostly unknowns including Zoey 101’s Victoria Justice.
Nickelodeon executives stress that songs will be performance-based, as opposed to “characters suddenly breaking into [idiotic] songs like in [that stupid] High School Musical [that we hate so much].” [HR]
If you’re in the Vancouver area, “Spectacular!” is holding an open casting call for “young trained dancers”:
Anyone who meets the following criteria may audition:
- men and women of all races and ethnicities between the ages of 17 and 25 years of age
- all applicants must have training in jazz, modern and hip hop dance
All applicants must arrive dressed ready to dance and be prepared to freestyle with any specialty or gymnastic moves.
Please bring a picture and resume if you have one!
DATE:
Monday, March 31, 2008
TIME:
Drop in anytime between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm
As this is an open casting call there may be a wait for your audition dependent on the number of applicants ahead of you.
LOCATION:
Harbour Dance Centre
927 Granville Street
Vancouver
Third Floor
Nickelodeon preps ‘Spectacular’ musical
By Borys Kit and Kimberly Nordyke
March 30, 2008
Watch out Disney: Nickelodeon is sharpening its notes to create its own high school musical.
The Viacom-owned kids network is prepping to shoot the telefilm “Spectacular!” a music-themed comedy set in high school.
Robert Iscove (”She’s All That”) is directing the film, which stars a cast of relative unknowns, including Tammin Sursok, Nolan Funk, Victoria Justice (Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101″) and Simon Curtis. Shooting begins April 21.
“Spectacular!” which has been kept below the radar, centers on a preppy high school student (Sursok) who is part of the school’s Spectacular! choir. The group is in sad shape, with its most talented members either having graduated or been stolen away by a rival squad. The teen sees salvation in a cocky rocker (Funk), who reluctantly joins “Spectacular!” to win a money prize that would finance his rock ‘n’ roll dreams. But the rocker doesn’t factor in falling for the preppy girl.
Nick stresses that “Spectacular!” is not a classic musical. The songs in the movie will be performance-based rather than featuring characters suddenly breaking out into song like in Disney’s “High School Musical.”
Jim Krieg is the writer on the telefilm. Lauren Levine, Jessica Horowitz, Marjorie Cohn and Bill O’Dowd are executive producing “Spectacular!” Scott McAboy is producing. Levine and McAboy also are part of the producing team on another primetime Nick telefilm, the upcoming Christopher Meloni starrer “Gym Teacher.”
Although “Spectacular!” which shoots in Vancouver, is designed as a one-off, Nick is holding options on the talent for potential sequels. No airdate has been set, though the movie is intended to join the ranks of other original live-action programming on Nick, including the hit series “Zoey 101″ and “iCarly.”
Sursok, repped by Abrams Artists and Principato/Young, is a singer from Australia with three top five hits under her belt there. She appeared on the Aussie TV series “Home and Away” before moving to the U.S., where she appears on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless.” She also will appear in Wayne Kramer’s feature “Crossing Over.”
Canadian Funk, repped by Abrams Artists, had a recurring gig on the CW’s “Aliens in America.”
Iscove recently wrapped production on “Love N’ Dancing,” starring Amy Smart. He is repped by Innovative, Todd Harris Management and attorney Alan Hergott.
Krieg, whose credits include USA Network’s “Monk” and Comedy Central’s “South Park,” is repped by Endeavor, Andrew Deane at Industry and attorney Chad Christopher.
Disney unearthed a gold mine with “Musical,” which became a surprise hit upon its debut in January 2006. The sequel, which aired in August, broke records for cable viewership, and the soundtrack was the second-best-selling album of 2007.
CASTING DYNAMIC, FUN FAMILIES FOR A NEW GAMESHOW!
From the network that brings you “Trading Spaces” and “Little People, Big World”
comes a brand new game show for families.
CALLING ALL FUN FAMILIES!
Is your Home in need of a little TLC? Do you have a tired old living room? Could your bedrooms use a little help in the style department? If you think your family has what it takes to win some new home furnishings… then Contact us NOW!
TLC is currently casting families who reside in the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Area to take part in a new television game show. Families must be outgoing, have some pop culture knowledge and be ready to compete!
SHOW YOUR FAMILY PRIDE AND CONTACT US TODAY, you have nothing to lose and only home furnishings to gain!
SEEKING:
- Families with at least two kids ages 8 - 18.
- Families must have a minimum of 4 members (two adults and at least two children, single parent households with 3 kids, etc.) Other family dynamics may be considered (grandparents living in hom, etc.)
- Families should own their own home
***Email our casting contact with your contact information, the names and ages of your family members, a picture of your family and why your family is perfect for us to:
CASTING CONTACT:
familygameshow@gmail.com
or call Tami and Andrea at 818-563-4131 ext. 225
Our 23 day shoot took place in one location: East Lousiana State Mental Hospital, a working mental hospital in Jackson, Louisiana (just outside Baton Rouge). With the film wrapped, director Adam Gierasch is now back home in Los Angeles cutting the film with our editor, Scott Smith.
Sun., Mar. 18, 2007, 2:33pm PT
Jessica Lowndes
By STACY DODD
PLAYERS
Jessica Lowndes (”Kyle XY”) has booked a lead role in horror pic “Autopsy,” directed by Adam Gierasch. Warren Zide is producing through his FlipZide shingle, along with Jessica Horowitz. Lensing begins April 9 in New Orleans.
Thesp has appeared in Lifetime’s “To Have and to Hold” and Showtime’s “Masters of Horror.”
By Gregg Goldstein
New York - Matthew Lillard and Efren Ramirez are set to star in Flipzide Studios’ “American Summer,” a comedy about a pool boy and gardener who take over a Beverly Hills mansion and become neighborhood pimps.
Flipzide CEO Warren Zide is producing and Seven Arts International is financing the film from director J.B. Rogers (”American Pie 2″). Seven Arts also is financing Adam Gierasch’s horror flick “Autopsy”; both projects, with a combined budget of about $16 million, begin principal photography April 9 in New Orleans.
Lillard plays a pool boy who has managed to convince his parents he’s attending Harvard. After his apartment complex undergoes termite fumigation, he moves with a pretty escort/neighbor and a young friend into an empty mansion where he works and soon stumbles ino the world’s oldest profession. Ramirez (”Napoleon Dynamite”) plays the next-door gardener called in as “the muscle” of the operation.
“Summer” (formerly titled “Pool Boy”) and “Autopsy” are the first of a three-pfeature, $15 million-$20 million equity financing pact betwen FlipZide and Seven Arts. “Autopsy,” produced with Jessica Horowitz, features Jessica Lowndes, Ashley Schneider, Joe Reegan, Jenette Goldstein, and Robert LaSardo.
Lillard is repped by CAA, Mosaic and Ziffren Brittenham. Ramirez is repped by Kazarian Spencer and Associates and Ken Jacobson.