What’s hot on the box from around the globe:
In the UK… Channel Four conducted an exorcism, only to let viewers down when head spinning and projectile vomiting didn’t occur….While over on BBC1, two lawyers made their case in a small claims court as a live audience voted on who was right. Why don’t they make Jury Duty like this?
And from the Red States in the good ole US of A…the WB is planning a series where mobile homes get made over in any way the owner wants. Can you say Quadruple Wide?… The network will also premiere a new series next week, The Starlet, hosted by Faye Dunaway. The former Bonnie Parker will award one aspiring actress with a management deal and guest gig on One Tree Hill, which could presumably lead to major motion pictures, Oscar nominations, and the A-list, only to be ruined with an ugly third act where the girl goes crazy and winds up hosting some shitty reality show.
Ya fired! is about to go global. Fourteen countries around the world are launching their own versions of the NBC hit The Apprentice. Among them, the UK, Dubai, Denmark, Finland, Greece, and Norway. France is putting its own spin on the format, where the contestants tell the boss, “I quit.“
Coming soon to Russian television is popular British show Don’t Drop the Baby, where wannabe parents and celebs are tested with an animatronic baby from hell. Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen something like this before.
More from Dubai…an elimination show, titled 21st Century Woman is in production. The series follows 12 ladies who will get a physical and lifestyle makeover to see who can adjust best to the modern world. A car and 25k are up for grabs. Though to be more accurate, they should reward the winner with a new nose and a fake set of jugs.
And finally, in Iraq, you can catch the public beatings of suspected terrorists twice a day on Terrorism in the Grip of Justice. The hourlong shows are sandwiched between Al-Iraqiya Network’s other TGIF family hits, According to Fadwa and My Wives and Kids.
– Benjamin Buzboi