Archive for April, 2011
Cool Commercial: Old Spice Goes International!
Apr 30th
Wow, Old Spice really are on a roll at the moment aren’t they.
Hot on the heels of the brand’s iconic American adverts featuring Isiaih Mustafa playing The Man Your Man Could Smell Like – check out this latest international commercial using the same concept but a different model.
The commercial is part of the new Old Spice Danger Zone campaign and features actor Neal Bledsoe (Ugly Betty) making his way through a jungle wilderness battling trucks, alligators and snakes…
It’s as slick and fun as the US campaign – so check it out below!
Ratings Roundup: 30th April 2011
Apr 30th
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
THE VOICE: Oops it looks like we might have boo booed here at Remote Patrolled!
A few weeks ago I predicted that NBC’s new music competition series would be a big old bomb. But though I’m going to reserve full judgment until the week 2 figures come in it’s certainly looking good for the show at the moment!
Tuesday night’s premiere debuted with a strong 11.77 million viewers and a terrific 5.1 18-49 share – the second highest of the week, behind American Idol. Significantly The Voice grew its audience over the course of its two-hour opener AND a repeat the next night also performed well with 6.14 million viewers and a 2.2 youth share. For NBC these are amazing figures. And the show even put a dent into Glee which despite a 90 minute special (intended to hurt The Voice’s ratings) actually hit a season low with 8.61 million and a 3.4 18-49 share.
I think a follow up post may be in order soon!
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.
Quick Take: American Idol ‘Carole King Night’
Apr 28th
Question time. Are you still watching American Idol? And if you are can you honestly tell me you’re invested in this year’s contestants? Do you really care who wins?
I ask the question because honestly I’m puzzled as to how anyone can say they’re as committed this season as in years past. I’m not saying the likes of Scotty, Lauren and James aren’t talented – just that I’m finding it very hard to emotionally invest in this season. In recent years I was really rooting for the likes of David Cook, Adam Lambert and Crystal Bowersox and genuinely excited to see what they would perform each week. But this year I’m finding myself reaching for the fast forward button with ever increasing frequency. Idol season 10 is a big old bore…
Sure last year wasn’t much better but at least in previous seasons you could rely on Simon Cowell to deliver a ruthless assessment every few songs. But this year’s judges are getting worse by the week. Steven Tyler is now officially a total waste of time. I don’t think he’s given a single critical – or constructive – note all season. Every performance is ‘perfect’, ‘great’ or ‘amazing’. It’s like he’s More >
First Look: ‘Geordie Shore’ – The British Jersey Shore
Apr 27th
Check out the just released trailer for Geordie Shore, the Brit version of the famous MTV hit – coming soon to UK TV screens…
It’s a well worn rowdy formula and the casting is pretty much exactly the same as Jersey Shore – juiced up guys and big breasted ‘babes’ who live for drinking, partying and tanning!
Of course British TV isn’t exactly short of tacky behavior in the first place – after all this is a country that’s featured 10 seasons of Big Brother and increasingly insane behavior on the part of its housemates (four words: Kinga Inserts Wine Bottle).
Plus no-one drinks like Brits do in the first place – so I doubt there’ll be quite the controversy that followed the launch of Jersey Shore…
Here’s the trailer… somewhere Jane Austen is rolling over in her grave!
Quick Take: Glee ‘Born This Way’
Apr 27th
Just a quick Glee review this week as I had to do double duty with The Voice also launching on the same night!
But what an episode it was… sure Glee still has a heavy handedness in the writing, acting and directing departments that means its points are made with sledgehammer subtlety. But though I’ve been a frequent critic of the show in the past I also have to commend it for tackling important issues like bullying, self-acceptance and sexuality in a way few teen shows do. For all its faults I think it’s a great thing that Glee exists and last night’s show was a prime example.
This week’s episode revolved around the theme of self love with Santana and Dave struggling with their sexuality, Rachel considering a nose job, Emma facing up to her OCD and Quinn’s secret past as an ugly tween revealed. The writing was zippy, especially for Santana, who’s really come into her own these last couple of weeks. And the extra 30 minutes of screen time actually didn’t drag (though let’s be honest, Fox packed in what felt like double the number of commercials to make up the 90 minute show!)
More > The Voice: First Impressions
Apr 27th
Okay everyone – here we go!
NBC’s The Voice premiered last night on NBC and later today we’ll get the first ratings in. So will the show be a big old bomb as I predicted or will American Idol finally have some competition on its hands?
Personally I think the show will debut to decent numbers – around 8 million viewers and a 3.2 18-49 share – but just like Paula Abdul’s Live To Dance it’ll slip week after week and be dead by the start of summer. I’m afraid I still stick by many of the comments in my original post – and with Fox scheduling a 90 minute Glee as a spoiler I think there’s an additional reason the show may struggle in the ratings. But what about the show itself – was it any good.
So here’s the thing – I watched about 45 minutes of The Voice last night and thought it was okay. It’s certainly not a train wreck and the format itself – with its revolving chairs – played less goofy that I thought it would.
Safety Last: How Some TV Shows Put Their Producers At Risk
Apr 26th
A few weeks ago I had dinner with a good friend of mine who’d recently returned from shooting a new TV show for a major cable network.
My friend told me how hard the show was, how difficult the talent had been and other behind the scenes gossip (this is pretty standard – as TV producers we all love to complain and share stories) But one thing he mentioned really stuck with me. Turns out my friend had been shooting and on the road for 8 weeks straight without a single day off! Yep 56 days of non-stop work with no breaks! Seriously.
I’ll be honest – I was pretty appalled and kept asking my friend how this had been allowed to happen. But to be honest I already knew the answer. It was the usual excuse ‘there was just no budget’. Hmm, where have I heard that one before?
The X Factor USA: Will Cheryl Cole And Paula Abdul Be Part Of The Panel?
Apr 25th
Remember towards the end of last year when we were all speculating as to who would join the American Idol judging panel for the show’s 10th Season? Well we all know how that turned out didn’t we!
I remember at the time wondering how good a choice Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler would be – speculating that while I thought J Lo might bring some decent critiques to the mix (which she has at times), Tyler probably wouldn’t (and sadly he’s even worse than I feared).
Well a few months down the line and here we are discussing who will join the X Factor panel – Simon Cowell’s US version of his massive Brit hit. We already know that Cowell and music producer LA Reid (who always makes me think of the Pink song Don’t Let Me Get Me in which he’s name-checked) are part of the line-up – but which two girls will be joining them?
In the UK The X Factor originally featured Sharon Osbourne. Then Dannii Minogue (Kylie’s sister) was added. And later Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole joined the mix.
Ratings Roundup: 23rd April 2011
Apr 23rd
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
MOB WIVES: First up this week, some good news for Vh1!
We’ve talked about the network a lot over the last few months – and most of the time it hasn’t been pretty with Vh1’s ratings in free fall for much of last year. But last week there were definite signs of recovery and this week Vh1 can even boast a bona fide hit show.
Yep, on Sunday night, new reality show Mob Wives scored 1.41 million viewers and a 0.8 18-49 share, pretty good ratings for a cable show and especially for Vh1 these days. Personally I’m a little tired of all the Real Housewives knock offs doing the rounds these days but people are watching them so I understand the network logic. Is this the beginning of a turnaround for Vh1 I wonder?
SWAMP PEOPLE: Who would have thought that a network branded History would end up becoming one of the hottest cable channels out there? But week after week the network keeps delivering mouth-watering ratings that are the envy of all its competitors.
You already know about American Pickers and Pawn Stars which often deliver in the 5-6 million viewer range, higher than many network shows More >
