FOX is launching a new reality series called, "Forever Eden," which will follow the lives of single men and women in isolation on a luxury resort but unlike "Paradise Hotel," the show will have no conclusion. The idea is that the cameras will roll as long as there's something worth filming. While we wonder why the cameras would roll in the first place, the show will be spiced up by new participants joining the group, other being voted off, old contestants coming back and special visits from family and friends. Maybe if the show resembles reality, it might be worth watching. That is, if the mindless conversation between players gets edited out. Oh wait, there will be nothing left to air then.
FOX has ordered 25 hours of the series to fill holes in their schedule and will begin in the next month or so.
For a contrarian viewpoint on cable's growth and importance, a look at the numbers puts broadcast TV in a very comfortable place for the year. To hush the cable cheerleaders, the Television Bureau of Advertising has put out a list of the top TV shows for 2003. Cable doesn't even show up until number 258.
Working in the media department at an ad agency has its many perks. Free tickets to anything you want. Great seats at any event you can think of. Free lunches and dinners. Great parties. And for what? All for handing millions of dollars over to the media. Oh, it's legit business of course and we do love out Christmas presents but can we stop with the fruit baskets?
I will say I did get a beautiful clock as a gift this year from MNI and the most incredibly delicious coffee cake from Clear Channel Outdoor. Oh, and wine from a local radio station. I'm not complaining but I will say the worst gift a sales person can give to a media person as anything with a logo on it. If anyone thinks that will make a jaded media person think more highly of a media outlet, their thinking is flawed. We buy on the numbers. Nothing more, nothing less. Unless, of course, you give us cruise tickets. Then we'll buy whether or not you are right for the client. Oh, come one, just kidding. All the free stuff we get goes the clients anyway. Sure.
So tanks to all the wonderful media outlets for making our lives in media so much better than the lives of the "suits" in the client service department. Free tickets are so much more fun than those weekly status reports AE's have to do for clients who never read them.
Reality Blurred's Andy Dehnart wraps up the year of reality television giving us his "best nine things about reality TV in 2003." Topping the list, of course, is the breakout success of 'The Simple Life' Fox could not have hoped for a better outing on this one. Also on Andy's list are the "Survivor Pearl Island" twist bringing Burton and Lill back into the game, the celebrity invasion of reality TV and reality TV as the new dating scene among others.
The legendary Elton John will perfom on the January 1 episode of "World Idol." It's perhaps a warm up for a planned three year tour which will include 75 concerts around the world, kicking off at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas February 13.
