And a one, and a two ...
Not even Drew Carey's take on Geppetto has turned networks off to
TV musicals. In fact, there seems to be an orchestra pit full of
'em in the pipeline. NBC is apparently sniffing out How to
Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Once Upon a Mattress from producer Jordan Kerner (Inspector Gadget). Fox has
already committed to a hip-hop The Wizard of Oz starring Queen
Latifah, Little Richard, and Busta Rhymes for next May sweeps,
and the genre's preeminent producers — Annie's Craig Zadan and Neil
Meron — have remakes of Mame (which Cher is in the running to
headline), Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific, and The Music Man in the works at ABC. Also, sources say a live-action version of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown could soon be on the auction
block. Why all the hoofers and crooners in prime time? ''We look
for movies that stand out — that we can truly say should be
appointment television,'' says Susan Lyne, ABC's exec VP of
movies. ''You can't see [updated] movie musicals in theaters
anymore, so the only place to see them is on television.'' Fair
enough, but promise we'll never hear: ''Introducing Norm Macdonald
as Tevye!''
Promos in Slo-mo
Speaking of Macdonald, Norm executive producer Bruce Helford
became so frustrated with the scarcity of summer promos for his
sitcom (Two Guys and a Girl, meanwhile, got tons of pitch time,
he says), that he dug into his own pocket and sprang for ads
on — of all places — hotdog-vendor umbrellas in New York (he also
bought bus boards in Vegas to hype his new WB sitcom, Nikki).
''They way underpromoted Norm from May through now,'' says
Helford, who monitored ABC nightly. ''I can either invest in
stocks or my shows. I don't mind doing that.''
Queer Alienation
Controversy makes for strange bedfellows — just ask the folks
behind the ultra-gay Showtime drama Queer as Folk and homo-averse
Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who've both been hit by advertiser
skittishness. Companies like Procter & Gamble decided to withhold
their ad money from the conservative talker's hot-button new
show, and other big brands are keeping their distance from the
potentially explosive Queer. In fact, Queer producers are
accusing some corporate giants of homophobia for their decision
not to allow product placement in the series (Abercrombie & Fitch
and Old Navy are among those reportedly saying no go). ''If we
have the advantage of logos, it's a way to make our show more
relatable to the public,'' says exec producer Tony Jonas. ''We knew
there was going to be a homophobic attitude, but we had no idea
it would be at this magnitude.'' Even the Pittsburgh Steelers
cried foul when Queer, which is set in that city, wanted to use
their logo in the background of a scene. Logos or not, the
producers promise they won't tone down Queer when it debuts in
early December. Says Jonas: ''We'll pull no punches.''
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