According to an article in this week’s Newsweek, Israeli TV is quickly becoming the hottest commodity to hit Hollywood since Ben Stiller did his Derelicte schtick in Zoolander. Not to nuke the fridge here, but with acts like Yael Naim picking up steam in MacAir commercials and shows like HBO’sIn Treatment (B’tipul) managing to muster a modest, but staunchly loyal cult following, it’s not at all surprising that TV and film execs are looking to Israel to provide them with some much needed fresh and original programming. Have you seen NBC’s and ABC’s Summer programming? There’s not one show among the bunch that’s not reality TV.
It’s telling of Israel’s rising popularity and perhaps indicative of its viability as a fixture in the entertainment industry that network TV had followed in the footsteps of HBO and chosen to add and adapt an Israeli show, Mythological X, (about love, nonetheless) to their Fall roster. (To sneak a preview of The Ex-List, click here)Loaded, a FOX-produced show about dot-com millionaires is also slated to air in the Fall.
But aside from the creative, engaging story lines that Israel seems to have the capacity to deliver, why has Hollywood looked to another country to fulfill what seems to be a gaping hole in the U.S. entertainment industry at present? To quote Joshua Alston, “Israeli shows are cheap”:
“In Treatment” premiered new episodes five days a week over nine weeks. “We’re used to doing 12 or 13 episodes per season,” says HBO executive Michael Lombardo. “The cost-effectiveness of the show is what enabled us to take on this huge commitment of 45 episodes.
“The relatively low cost will allow U.S. networks to try out Israeli formats and give them space to find an audience. “In Treatment” premiered to sluggish numbers that would spell trouble for a pricier show. But it built steam by the end of the season, and performed well enough relative to its cost that HBO will launch a second season this fall.
What may be considered “shoestring budgets” by U.S. standards is fueling the passion and stamina of Israel’s entertainment industry and in turn delivering a premium product at a bargain rate. And as long as this translates to the end result being more Gabriel Byrne, then I’m one happy gal.
The Justice Department just approved a merger between former satellite radio arch-nemeses, Sirius and XM radio. In short, Sirius bought XM out for $5 billion. Maybe it’s just me, but I kinda miss the whole healthy, clean days of competition a la Battle of the Network Stars. Then again, with Howard Stern and Martha Stewart doing the Sirius circuit, I’m not sure even Oprah (& “Her Friends”) stood much of a chance…
I’m actually looking forward to this season of Dancing with the Stars. There I said it.
There seems to be some decent female competitors to match, if not, exceed the skill and potential of their male counterparts. And while this doesn’t usually happen, the buzz around this season’s most toted female dancers (Kristi Yamaguchi, Marlee Matlin, and Priscilla Presley) is pretty accurate and worthy of the praise.
As for the other female dancers…
Maybe I’m just tired of seeing Shannon Elizabeth in every conceivable American Pie sequel and Celebrity Poker challenge, but I’m not that excited to watch her onscreen strutting her stuff. I know I’m most likely in the minority here. I could just be guilty of old refrain, “She reminds me of every overly perky and arrogant popular girl I ever went to school with,” (only I never went to school with a girl quite like that)
By her own admission, Marissa Winokur doesn’t have the typical lithe dancer frame, but she is “flexible” with her movements (per my husband) and she stands a good chance of going somewhere, possibly losing some weight, but ultimately being eliminated before the finals.
Whatever skills Monica Seles may have had as a tennis player, she unfortunately lacks as a dancer. Let’s put it this way: She makes Penn Gillette look agile and Billie Ray Cyrus as something more than just his daughter’s oozing appendage.
I’ll cover the guys in another post. No new updates other than middle-aged white dudes can’t and shouldn’t dance, but older peeps (including dudes) usually garner enough sympathy to last for a couple more rounds.
Oscar ratings were dramatically down this year. This despite all the George Clooney pimping, the red dresses, and Sean Penn’s new arm candy. While the writers’ strike is rumored to be the primary culprit of ABC’s bad fortune in a year that was ripe with downer nominees, some fault needs to be shifted to the downright lack of charisma of the show’s host, John Stewart. Considering I had to wait till 10:50 PM before there was one comment that made me chuckle and that it’s all but erased from my memory, it can’t bode well for Stewart’s wittiness. Yeah, yeah, writers’ strike and there were 5 writers that had pitch in to write the telecast this year and they had fast turnaround given time restrictions, but isn’t Stewart a comedian after all? If Tina Fey can pull off of the more memorable SNL episodes to hit the tube in a long time, can’t Stewart work some magic? I always thought Stewart was a little bit of a whiny sissy anyways, but maybe he lacks that bitch is the new black factor after all…
No, the Oscars haven’t filed Chapter 7, but the carpet wasn’t the only red that made a big appearance at this year’s most glamorous award show. Seven actresses arrived in red hot ruby gowns including Katherine Heigl, Miley Cyrus, Helen Mirren, and model Heidi Klum, just to name a few…but my favorite fiery vixen was Anne Hathaway in this Marchesa goddess gown. Much love to a pasty girl who can pull off such a bold color. It gives the rest of us bronze-deficient gals some hope.
The Oscars continued to be en rose after Marion Cotillard won the statue for Best Actress for her role as the French songbird, Edith Piaf, in the film La Vie En Rose. This is the only Oscar-nominated film I’ve seen so far, so my opinion here might be null and void, but her performance was nothing short of spectacular. Much deserved.
Oh, and back to Anne Hathaway. It’ll just be a few more months before her movie Get Smart, also starring the hilarious Steve Carell crashes into theaters.
The Oscars air tonight and since I’ve seen at least some of the films nominated, I have more of a vested interest in who wins and who doesn’t. The SAG and Golden Globes are usually somewhat of an indicator as to who will sweep, but as past years have shown, it’s not always a fool-proof litmus test.
But what about the other awards show of late?
Besides the fact that the Spirit (Independent Spirit) awards are the “coolest”- people get to actually show up in birkenstocks/tevas and it takes place along the beach after all in Santa Monica, there are the Razzies aka the “crappiest” (as my nephew would say) films of the year which were handed out just yesterday. At the top of the list was Eddie Murphy for worst actor, supporting actress, and supporting actor for his multiple roles in the flop, Norbit. Perhaps the most telling award was Lindsay Lohan picking up “Word Actress” for her role in I know Who Killed Me which may as well be called, I Know Who/What Killed My Career!
But back to the Oscars because while they might not be the hippest or funniest awards show, they are still the most prestigious for now and the ones that get the most play on national TV. Below is my list of this year’s winners. I’m not clairvoyant or anything, but I’d love to be a betting woman on these since I think I could accumulate some serious dough here…In bold is my pick for winner and with accompanying asterisk is my pick for “who knew” (either about the movie or why this person was nominated).
It’s kind of corny to repeat the same thing over and over again, but every day that goes by brings with him situations that make you think about The Office. Those little moments that of course are not as amusing as when they happen in Scranton, but still you stop and say: Hey, this reminds me of something from The Office… This guy looks like Kevin Malone… She is like Jen…
There is not much hope that we will get to see The Office or any other show if you come to think about it returning in the next month or so, and it is sad. But hey, at least we have Eli Stone played by Johnny Lee Miller tonight at 10/9c on ABC. Eli Stone is probably the best thing that happened on TV during the writers strike.
During the recent writers strike, we’ve been bombarded with TV shows that on normal days would never even be considered for American prime time TV or for any time actually. Now that the strike is finally over, and the writers are back at their desks, writing like there is no Mañana, and just before we are going to watch their recent creations, here are the four lowest levels of TV entertainment. Counting from worst to better:
Level 4: Reality TV: I know people are addicted to reality TV, and I understand that the desire to peak into other people’s lives might cause resistance to this post by those people. Nevertheless, Reality TV has the same features as Porn. Like porn it is being semi- directed, the participant are semi- actors, using semi- script. And the most important thing is: The viewers are convinced that they are watching the real thing. Well they are not.
I’m actually looking forward to this season of Dancing with the Stars. There I said it.
Oscar ratings were 
No, the Oscars haven’t filed Chapter 7, but the carpet wasn’t the only red that made a big appearance at this year’s most glamorous award show. Seven actresses arrived in red hot ruby gowns including Katherine Heigl, Miley Cyrus, Helen Mirren, and model Heidi Klum, just to name a few…but my favorite fiery vixen was Anne Hathaway in this Marchesa goddess gown. Much love to a pasty girl who can pull off such a bold color. It gives the rest of us bronze-deficient gals some hope.
The Oscars air tonight and since I’ve seen at least some of the films nominated, I have more of a vested interest in who wins and who doesn’t. The SAG and Golden Globes are usually somewhat of an indicator as to who will sweep, but as past years have shown, it’s not always a fool-proof litmus test.
It’s kind of corny to repeat the same thing over and over again, but every day that goes by brings with him situations that make you think about 