NEWS
Is Ryan Seacrest REALLY Worth $45 Million To American Idol?
Jan 6th
We’re just a few days away from the 11th season premiere of American Idol – and there’s a new rumor doing the rounds at the moment. Is long time Idol host Ryan Seacrest on the way out – set to be replaced by a cheaper alternative?
As everyone knows, Ryan has been with the Idol franchise since day one and along with Randy Jackson is the only remaining member of the original on camera team. Co-host Brian Dunkleman famously departed after season 1, judge Paula Abdul left at the end of Season 8 and Idol’s main mean man Simon Cowell split in 2010 after 9 seasons with the show.
Through it all the Idol juggernaut has remained as strong as ever – still regularly pulling in audiences in excess of 20 million on a weekly basis. So now apparently Fox are starting to wonder if Seacrest is really essential to the franchise. With a salary of $15 million a year and a deal that expires at the end of the new season, the network are reportedly wondering if they could opt for a cheaper host going forwards. But is Fox risking its smash hit franchise in order to save (quite a few) bucks? More >
The Emmy Awards 2011: What Did You Think?
Sep 19th
So what did all of you out there think of this year’s Emmy Awards?
Well given that the night’s two big winners were Modern Family and Mad Men – exactly the same as last year – it’s hard not to feel a certain sense of deja vu.
This was an awards show with few real surprises or moments of spontaneity – but in a way maybe that’s for the best. Whenever the awards bash did move into more unexpected territory I have to admit I found myself cringing! Take the Lonely Island guys for example. The sex-filled songs work fine as part of a video, but on their own and on a giant stage it all became a tad too knowing and uncomfortable. I’d rather the guys had created a brand new song and video to play in during the show’s slower moments.
Speaking of cringe-inducing songs, am I the only one who found Jane Lynch’s opening number a total chore to get through? I understand the need to open a show with a big song and dance number, but coming off the back of Jimmy Fallon’s amazing opening last year (and Neil Patrick Harris similarly superlative opener the year before) this truly More >
The Dancing With The Stars Season 13 Cast: Cue The Complaining!
Aug 30th
So as you probably heard, last night ABC unveiled the latest cast competing for a tacky mirrorball trophy on Dancing With The Stars, season 13.
And the response was… well completely predictable!
As usual when these kind of announcements are made, bloggers and commentators across the web are weighing in today with their usual ‘where are the stars’ sniping. Nikki Finke is as sneering as ever, proving once again that while she’s a great industry reporter she’s pretty out of touch when it comes to pop culture.
I’ll be totally honest – I’m not a Dancing With The Stars fan. I’ve tried to get into the show many times in the past but I find it corny, silly and frankly rather dull. For me there are no stakes or real jeopardy and I honestly don’t understand the show’s appeal.
Did ABC Pull The Plug On Desperate Housewives Too Soon?
Aug 8th
Uh oh – it’s all over for the ladies of Wisteria Lane!
As you’ve no doubt read online over the last few days, ABC has decided to make the upcoming 8th season of Sunday night hit Desperate Housewives the shows last. But did they make the right decision – or jump the gun a season too soon?
As regular Remote Patrolled readers know I’m a big Desperate Housewives fan and have been from day one. By and large I think the show has maintained its quality but I must admit I did start to get restless last season and found myself fast forwarding through some of the show’s duller storylines (three words – Susan’s kidney saga). But that said I think I was still hoping for an 8th AND 9th season of the show – especially as all the cast members had signed up for two more years in a series of protracted negotiations in the spring. After all the work that went into those deals why did ABC suddenly get such itchy feet?
On the one hand maybe the network are feeling ultra confident about their upcoming Fall line-up. ABC certainly has some promising shows in the hopper which we’re steadily previewing here on the More >
Two And A Half Men: Is This Really The Right Move For Ashton Kutcher?
May 13th
As you’ve doubtless heard in the press over the last 24 hours it seems that CBS have finally found their new lead for troubled sitcom Two And A Half Men – Ashton Kutcher.
If the news is confirmed it will mean Charlie Sheen is officially out and Mr Demi Moore will be in. For CBS the news is a great result all round. Ashton is a high profile star and his succession will virtually guarantee big ratings in the Fall as curious viewers tune in. He’s also over 10 years younger than Sheen which for a network with problems in the 18-49 demo could be a big boost. Not to mention the fact that Ashton has million of Twitter followers he can plug into and a tabloid friendly personal life. Plus let’s be honest, Ashton is a professional – he’ll turn up on time, has a stable home situation and isn’t going to be smashing up hotel rooms in Vegas with a couple of hookers in tow. Winning!
But for Ashton himself, I’m not so sure this is such a smart move.
Sure the financial rewards are going to be huge – I can just imagine the kind of deal Kutcher has in place – More >
Donald Trump: Is He Hurting NBC?
Apr 29th
We generally try and avoid politics here at Remote Patrolled but with all the press coverage Donald Trump’s been attracting recently the worlds of entertainment and politics seem to have come together as one!
By now you of course know the full story. Celebrity Apprentice bigwig Donald Trump is considering a Presidential run in 2012 and has been talking a big game over the last few weeks – attacking President Obama and forcing him into revealing his birth certificate. Of course now that the certificate is out Trump STILL isn’t happy and is questioning Obama’s college grades and taking more potshots at the President.
It’s a juicy story for the press and they’ve certainly obliged The Donald with plenty of coverage. Meanwhile several Hollywood celebrities – notably Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby and Cher – have all weighed in and attacked Trump. Meanwhile let’s not forget Donald still hasn’t officially announced he’s running for president – and says he won’t and can’t make any announcement until the current season of Celebrity Apprentice finishes in a few weeks time.
Daytime Drama: ABC Cancels One Life To Live / All My Children
Apr 15th
I’ll be honest – I know very little about daytime soaps, so the news that ABC yesterday cancelled veteran series One Life To Live and All My Children didn’t exactly turn my world upside down.
That said I have friends who are HUGE soap fans and I know this is a heartbreaking decision for them. And indeed for millions of people out there who grew up watching both shows with their moms and grandmothers. But I also understand the grim realties of TV – soaps are costly to make, don’t repeat well and have seen falling ratings. So I do understand why ABC made the call.
But here’s what I find so fascinating. The two shows replacing Life and Children are called The Chew and The Revolution. Uh-huh, you read that right. And according to ABC Daytime head Brian Frons he ‘wanted to do shows that were unusual for daytime’. So take a listen.
The Chew is a cooking show featuring a roster of hosts including Mario Batali, Carla Hall (Top Chef), Michael Symon (Iron Chef America) and um, Clinton Kelly. Yep, Clinton Kelly from What Not To Wear – great food experience there! In a nutshell it’s The View with food.
As for The Revolution, it’s a show More >
History Pulls ‘The Kennedys’
Jan 8th
Big breaking news from Hollywood yesterday as the History Channel pulled the plug on its costly upcoming mini-series, The Kennedys.
The 8 hour televised event didn’t have a set air date but had been making headlines for months, mainly due to on set images of Katie Holmes as Jackie Kennedy. The series also starred Greg Kinnear as JFK, Barry Pepper as Bobby and Tom Wilkinson as Joseph Kennedy. For the History channel this was big news.
But yesterday the show was canceled by the network. Their main gripe – the show wasn’t factually accurate enough for the standards of History Channel.
Hmm, sounds good on paper, but here’s my question. Who the heck was reading the scripts and signing them off? Where were the History execs on set? Wasn’t anyone watching the edit?
In my experience networks aren’t exactly hands off when it comes to shows – if anything they can get TOO involved. But this isn’t a reality show we’re talking about where you sometimes never know what you’re going to get. This is a scripted mini-series which must have gone through countless rewrites and months of planning before even a frame of film was shot.
Of course there is another explanation… namely that the Kennedys themselves weren’t happy More >
Oprah In Australia: Hugh Jackman’s Injury!
Dec 14th
Looks this won’t be one of Oprah’s Favorite Things…
Check out this news report from yesterday as movie star Hugh Jackman makes a guest appearance on Oprah‘s in front of a live audience of over 12,000 people – and gets injured in the process!
As you doubtless know Oprah is in Australia at the moment for a special series of shows with her season premiere audience in tow. As a stunt Jackman was meant to descend on a zip line down to the stage – but at the end of the run he crashed into a lighting rig, resulting in an eye injury – and a lot of embarrassment.
This news report treat the story as a bit of a joke, but I have to say I felt a bit sorry for Hugh. Who on earth was in charge of health and safety on that show? Did no-one test the zip line in advance? And where on earth was Jackman MEANT to land?
Hugh was fine but it could have ended very, very badly – and you just know Oprah isn’t going to be happy…
The Biggest Loser: Pickets And Protests!
Nov 15th
Wow, it’s all kicking off down at The Biggest Loser ranch today – and not just in front of the cameras. This time it’s not Jillian’s shouting or a near comatose contestant making headlines – but an ugly behind the scenes dispute that is causing a whole lot of controversy.
In case you haven’t heard, large sections of The Biggest Loser crew – many of whom have been with the show for several years – have gone on strike. They’re demanding the right to unionize which will apparently help members accrue health and pension benefits. The crew are allegedly also unhappy that they’ve received virtually no wage increase since Season 6 (the show is now on Season 11) while the show has stayed a profitable franchise for NBC due to its constant product placement (many segments of the show are virtually paid advertisements) and relative ratings stability – at least for NBC.
Meanwhile the show’s producers – 3 Ball and Reveille – allege crew members are paid above scale for the show and that the series recent declining ratings mean there simply isn’t any more money to go around, especially in these tough economic times. For the full details you should jump over to More >
