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Get Ready for McTV: McDonald's to Launch In-Store TV Channel
by Catherine Lawson, posted Oct 17th 2011 7:15AM
You want a side of TV with those fries? If so, great news: McDonald's TV channel could be coming to a fast-foood restaurant near you.The 'Los Angeles Times' reports that the burger giant is launching its own in-store TV channel over the next few months, with content provided by reality TV impresario Mark Burnett ('Survivor'), BBC America and KABC-TV Eyewitness News.
The concept has already been trialled in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Diego, and the company aims to have it up and running soon in over 800 branches of McDonald's in Southern and Central California. With an audience estimated at a Big Mac-tastic 18-20 million viewers each month, the new channel could land one of the largest daytime audiences in the area.
2011 Emmy Awards Ratings and Reactions: Good, Bad or Indifferent?
by Catherine Lawson, posted Sep 19th 2011 8:30AM
So, how did last night's live Emmy Awards telecast fare with critics and viewers? Final ratings aren't in yet, but so far the 2011 Emmys have scored a thumbs up (with some reservations) from most critics.'Glee' star Jane Lynch has been lauded for her hosting skills, and she kept things moving at a brisk pace on a night chock full of surprises. The Associated Press praised the high production values and said the ceremony "could have been the most satisfying in memory."
AOL TV's own Maureen Ryan called it "rather delightful," noting that "what's usually a three-hour slogfest passed by relatively quickly and mostly painlessly this time around."
'New York' magazine said that "if it wasn't as good as last year's Jimmy Fallon-hosted spectacular, it did continue a trend upheld by the recent Tonys and Grammys, of being much, much better than this past Oscars." High praise indeed!
'Expedition Impossible' Explores Morocco, Sends Home Its First Team (VIDEO)
by Jason Hughes, posted Jun 24th 2011 3:06AM
To succeed in a team-based competition like the new reality series 'Expedition Impossible' (Thu., 9PM ET on ABC), you must work together. Teamwork is key, and with three people on each group in this show, it's even more important to make sure everyone is working together and toward the same goals.While it's normal for stress and exhaustion to cause friction as the series progresses, the team called Latin Persuasion were bickering almost from the moment the competition began. Even when they fell into last place, they kept at it.
During a challenge where they had to find water in the Moroccan desert using the traditional methods of the local people, Raven Garcia finally laid into Mai Reyes for doing a lot of standing around so far in the game and not much else.
It's Official: Sarah Palin's Going to TLC
by Allison Waldman, posted Mar 25th 2010 11:10AM
Well, the deal is done. Sarah Palin's next line on her resume, the one after Vice Presidential candidate and Governor of the State of Alaska, will be television host. The former politico has teamed with reality TV producer Mark Burnett and they've sold a travel show. Discovery's TLC will air 'Sarah Palin's Alaska,' a show about the state and why it's such a great place to live and/or visit. Sarah Palin will be the tour guide and 'proud daughter' of the territory, showing off the mountains, lakes, streams and vistas of the 49th state.As Joel pointed out the other day, this new show is a good move for Palin as well as Discovery. The numbers she'll need to pull for TLC are in the low millions, so that should be do-able considering her appeal to a large segment of the public. Especially that segment that likes her without taking an interest in her political opinions. This show will have no politics. It's going to be like a movie from the Alaska Convention and Visitor's Bureau. You know, "Come to Alaska, experience the wild life and feel the chill." (Hmm ... maybe I should trademark that?)
Four Reasons Why Sarah Palin and Discovery Are a Good Fit
by Joel Keller, posted Mar 24th 2010 3:06PM
Yesterday, we found out from James Hibberd at THR's Live Feed that Discovery Communications has won the bidding to air an Alaskan travelogue program hosted by former governor Sarah Palin, and today, it was revealed that it will officially air on TLC. 'Sarah Palin's Alaska,' which will be produced by Mark Burnett, is going to be a pricey proposition for Discovery; Gov. Palin was asking for $1.2 million per episode, according to Hibberd.But it's going to be worth it. Whatever you may think of her politics, Palin is a network programmer's dream. In fact, Palin and Discovery seem to be a pretty good pairing, for a number of reasons:
1. Palin is charming and has a good screen presence. The big reason why she was so popular during the 2008 presidential campaign was that she connected with a lot of people who were outside the usual Republican base: mothers, parents of kids with special needs, and others. She was folksy and chatty, and she was able to connect with her audiences despite whatever flaws she had in the policy knowledge department.
Who Needs Celebs? NBC Bringing Back the Original 'Apprentice'
by Sharon Knolle, posted Mar 17th 2010 6:16PM
Ta ta disgraced governors. See ya, washed-up rock stars. According to the TheWrap, NBC is bringing back the celeb-free version of 'The Apprentice' for the first time since 2007, with a recession-era twist: "Real people" contestants who've been hit hard by the bad economy will get a chance to reverse their fortunes by wowing boss Donald Trump.
The return of the original premise has been rumored for some time. Trump recently declared himself all for it, telling reporters, "I will be very involved if they bring back regular 'Apprentice,'" he said. "I'd be very involved in the casting again."
The Fall of 'The Apprentice'
by Stephanie Earp, posted Mar 16th 2010 5:58PM
While watching the two-hour (read: interminable) debut of 'The Celebrity Apprentice' on Sunday night, I was trying to figure out if Cyndi Lauper is out of this show's league, or vice versa. Maybe I'm thinking about leagues because of all the previews for the new Jay Baruchel movie, but for some reason that's how the question phrased itself in my head. Has Cyndi Lauper really sunk this low?
'The Apprentice' used to be an A-list show when it debuted in 2004. Remember? It was a serious competitive reality show that was nominated for Emmys against shows like 'Survivor' and 'The Amazing Race', and for cinematography -- in other words, the gorgeous New York skyline shots that peppered the episodes. Back then, people watched the show and compared the tasks and the competitors to their own workplace.
Mark Burnett's New Series Pits Game Show Host vs. Game Show Host
by Kim Potts, posted Mar 11th 2010 9:45AM
His last game show attempt, 'Our Little Genius,' didn't even make it to the airwaves, but reality TV uber-producer Mark Burnett has a new idea that sounds like a winner. ABC has ordered to pilot 'Trust Me, I'm a Game Show Host,' a Burnett-produced series in which two hosts go head-to-head on various topics, with contestants from the audience challenged to determine which one is telling the truth.
Would You Watch 'Help Me, Martha' as in Martha Stewart?
by Brad Trechak, posted Mar 5th 2010 12:30PM
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, along with Mark Burnett, is trying to pitch 'Help Me, Martha' as a new reality television program. In it, Martha helps someone who is having a party or "lifestyle issue" get things together. In short, it is the most unreal reality television ever devised.
The show is slightly reminiscent of 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' or even 'The Marriage Ref.' It's great how television assumes that people have no control over their own lives (in truth they don't, but I hardly think making them a television spectacle is going to help).
If you were planning something, would you really want Martha there looking over your shoulder? She comes across as pretty bossy. If your party idea didn't match with hers, she could very well change it around on this television program without your say-so. And if you didn't like it, she'd have to let you go.
Are You Ready for the Sarah Palin in Alaska Reality Show?
by Brad Trechak, posted Mar 4th 2010 10:23AM
She's already done stand-up comedy during 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,' but now it looks like Sarah Palin is teaming with über-reality producer Mark Burnett to bring you a series about Alaska. No network is involved with the series yet, but Fox News would be a good place to start.Seriously, when one does a "reality television show" about a state, it's usually called a documentary or a tourism video. If that's the purpose, then this is a good idea. Sarah Palin could host a documentary about Alaska. She'll likely be on script, so there are no dangers of fielding questions from reporters and given her fame, it would likely be a boon to the state in terms of tourism. They would want to see the sort of place that would produce someone like her.
However, this show will more likely focus on the ex-Governor herself as well as her family and their experiences within the state. It is interesting how she wants the media to leave her family alone but has no problems parading them in front of the camera for her own ends.
Review: Live for the Moment - Roger Childs (series premiere)
by Michael Pascua, posted Jan 29th 2010 1:20AM
(S01E01) Live for the Moment goes for the heartstrings at the first minute. In the premiere episode, we meet Roger Childs who started to suffer from ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). Even with his body degenerating, he's managed to continue to be positive for his wife and two children. Jeff Probst arrives, hands the family a journal with several "missions" and hopes that the family will live for the moment.
On paper, the show is basically Phil Keoghan's show No Opportunity Wasted, but with a bigger budget and longer timeline. Live for the Moment is truly a combination of The Bucket List, Big Fish, and Up! The show is saccharine sweet and would have fit perfectly on the Hallmark Channel.
Oh yeah, Fox execs talk about Conan and Our Little Genius, too - TCA Report
by Joel Keller, posted Jan 11th 2010 6:22PM
Before and after the FOX execs so dramatically brought Simon Cowell on stage to sign the contract bringing his British show The X Factor to the US, effectively ending his time on American idol, there were other heady matters to discuss. Just small stuff, like the possibility of Conan O'Brien bailing on NBC and joining FOX, and the mini-scandal surrounding the game show Our Little Genius.
On Conan, there really wasn't much to say. "We're in sort of the wowee mode right now," said entertainment president Kevin Reilly. After reiterating what he's said in the past on always being in search of a good five-night-per-week late night program, he went on to say that "I love Conan personally & professionally. Until he makes his decision (on whether to leave NBC), there's no conversation to be had."
But since he knows Conan's people, it's not like he hasn't been talking, at least informally. He classified them as being more in the "commiserating phase;" knowing Reilly's history with NBC (Jeff Zucker fired him three years ago), I could understand the commiseration.
Fox pulls Our Little Genius because of possible contestant tampering
by Danny Gallagher, posted Jan 8th 2010 11:30AM
Fox has pulled one of its reality game shows from its lineup. Is it because they felt the show was exploiting families and their gifted children by publicly humiliating them in front of a national audience for profit? Hell no, this is Fox, a network that would pit a bear against a roided bald eagle in international waters and call it "educational programming." Producer Mark Burnett has temporarily pulled the plug on his newest venture called Our Little Genius because of the possibility that some of the contestants were coached before competing.
Burnett said he learned that some of the producers told the contestants the topics on which they would be quizzed and even some of the questions they would be asked. This doesn't mean the show is gone forever, just for the moment. Again, hello, it's Fox.
'Our Little Genius' Premiere Shelved by FOX
by Andrew Scott, posted Jan 8th 2010 11:05AM
Anyone hoping to catch next week's premiere of FOX's 'Our Little Genius' will now have to wait a bit longer to see it.Yesterday, the network announced that it is delaying the debut of the kiddie quiz show, which was supposed to air Wednesday after 'American Idol,' because its contestants were reportedly given information ahead of time.
"As a result, I am not comfortable delivering the episodes without reshooting them," series creator Mark Burnett said in a statement. "I believe my series must always be beyond reproach, so I have requested that Fox not air these episodes."
Kevin Pollak to Host Fox's 'Our Little Genius'
by Jane Murphy, posted Dec 4th 2009 4:05PM
Some of the rogues in the 1995 film classic 'The Usual Suspects' have made their way to TV recently. Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne have put in time at HBO (on 'Recount' and 'In Treatment,' respectively). Stephen Baldwin has become a reality staple on such shows as 'Celebrity Apprentice' and 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here' (we get it, Stephen, you're a celebrity.) But today, Kevin Pollak took us by surprise by teaming up with reality titan Mark Burnett on a new game show.
'Our Little Genius' will premiere on Jan. 13 in TV's most enviable time slot: right after the first Paula-less 'American Idol' on Fox. Pollak will host 'Genius,' which will feature child prodigies showing off their knowledge for cash prizes.
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