grease

I keep seeing promos for NBC's new reality show, Grease: You're the One That I Want, and I wonder whether anybody is going to watch it. Based on the promos alone, it looks as though NBC is capitalizing on the popularity of the early episodes of American Idol where we get to see a few good, but mostly very, very bad performers audition before the three judges. In this case, it's an open casting call for the new Broadway run of Grease. The casting directors need two actors/singers for the lead roles of Sandy and Danny. The first two episodes will feature all the auditions and then the group will be reduced down to 12 contestants on which the public will vote each week.

No doubt it'll be heartwarming to see some talented people finally get their shot at a Broadway audition. But... Grease? How popular is that? How annoying will those songs get after we've heard them over and over? I'm still on the fence about whether or not I'm going to watch. I think I may give this Sunday's premiere episode a whirl.

Tell me... do you plan on watching? Why or why not?

NBC has ramped up the promotion for their new reality show, You're The One That I Want. We've mentioned the show a couple times in the past. The short version is that contestants are going to compete for the roles of Danny and Sandy in a new production of the Grease musical.

That's all well and good, but I can't help but wonder just who is going to watch that. Musical theater certainly does have a core audience, but I have a feeling that it's not big enough to measure up to the demands of prime-time network TV. I get the idea behind the show, it's got the singing of Idol and the dancing of DWTS, but that doesn't make it Idol or DWTS. We've already seen what happens when people try to clone these shows. The One and Skating with Celebrities come to mind.

Well, it's not the big announcement I had hoped for. NBC is reorganizing its post-football schedule, but it's only shuffling a few things and adding some other stuff to the open slots on its schedule. So far, only Sunday and Wednesday nights are changing:

Sundays (starting Jan. 7)
8 pm: Grease: You're The One That I Want
9 pm: The Apprentice
10 pm: Crossing Jordan

Wednesdays (starting Jan. 3)
8 pm: Friday Night Lights
9 pm: Deal or No Deal
10 pm: Medium

Hey you! Wanna be in Grease?

NBC is holding cattle calls for a new reality series: You're the One that I Want, starting late October in Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles. They're looking for gals and guys to compete in a reality series for the lead roles of Sandy and Danny (played by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in the movie) in a new Broadway stage production of the musical.

You should be 18 years old and older with singing, acting and dancing ability. You know: skillz. Have two songs ready, one from Grease, and one non-Grease related. More details are available at NBC.com according to a network press release, but I couldn't turn them up in an admittedly cursory search.

Arrive early. Those in line earliest will get wristbands guaranteeing an audition. Show up late, and you may or may not get seen. Casting call times and locations after the jump: