Philly Phriday: Flashback Friday, Banyan Productions

I didn't forget this Friday! YAY.

I am 95% sure that Banyan Productions has since dissolved (their imdb page hasn't seen any additions since 2011), but they were pretty potent in the cable world in the early 2000s. Case in point: TRADING SPACES. The show that put TLC on the map. The show my family tried to get on for years. The most amazing home makeover show ever. Let us never forget Hildi the most insane designer on the face of the earth.

Trading Spaces ran for eight seasons, a total of 362 episodes, between 2000 and 2008. It was a a huge success, especially after Banyan took over as the show's production company in the second season (it also bombed once Bayan ended it's involvement in 2007). It was the top cable show on Saturday nights and get this- they aired a special in October 2003 on a Sunday night and it drew 9.1 million viewers. NINE POINT ONE. It rated higher than NBC and ABC that night, which blows my mind. Things started to go south, though, when other networks caught onto the format. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition stole carpenter Ty Peddington from the show and took over the home makeover space.

Before Trading Spaces came into the picture, Banyan and TLC combined to produce Wedding Story. Over 480 episodes aired and the 2003 Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Editing.  All I remember is watching this show on repeat. It was like makeover story, baby story, wedding story all day every day. And apparently I wasn't the only one that loved it.

The combined success of Trading Spaces and Wedding Story gave Banyan major credit in the cable industry, which landed them a spot on Real Screen Magazine's Top 100 Production Companies Worldwide list in 2006 and 2007.

Unfortunately, Banyan's fallen off the grid and I'm almost certain that they've combined with another company or moved elsewhere under a different name. The internet offers no clarification, but my last internship manager mentioned that they weren't around anymore when I asked about companies I should apply to for the spring semester.

I Suck at Commitment and So Does Sugar Bear

I was on the blogging train, doing a consistent job. Then this week my commitment faltered at the hands of my groggy and snotty gross sickened face. That said, I'm canceling this week's Philly Phriday because my OCD won't allow one to come after the other. It'll throw off the look of everything. PLUS. There was an absolutely earth shattering statement released today. Ready?


Can you possibly handle it?


I am sad to announce that Mama June and Sugar Bear of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo have separated.

Mama June released this statement to TMZ: "Sugar Bear and I have decided to take some time apart to figure out some things in our relationship.  We are taking things day by day but regardless of what happens the girls will always be our #1 priority.  We want to thank ya'll for your support."

I'm heartbroken and quite interested to see how the folks over at TLC handle this. Season four ended with Anna's wedding in mid-August and there has been no word from TLC execs about a fifth season. Ratings have declined, so there is fear that the show is on its way out. Mama June did, however, say "Don't worry we'll be back" in a video that was posted on the show's Facebook page to promote the Season 4 finale. 

I mean, consistently recording ratings of 1.1 to 1.8 isn't all that bad for the network, especially since Thursday nights bring tough competition. Plus, Long Island Medium barely rates over a 1.6 these days anyway. 

TLC and Authentic Entertainment are currently shooting the fifth season. We know this because TLC EVP Howard Lee tweeted a picture of June from her younger years with the caption "June's gonna kill me. Working on new season & saw this pic of her in her younger years! Have to share" on September 8th. Honey Boo Boo is Lee's brainchild, he developed it and brought it to air, so he has a hand in a lot of the production still. 

To add to the drama, internet trollers found an online dating profile that supposedly is owned and operated by Sugar Bear, who claims he is single. It's an interesting screen shot from the website plentyoffish.com. I searched his username (georgiafighter31054) but nothing came up, so clearly TLC (or Sugar Bear) jumped on it as soon as the information started circulating. 

I've got one eyebrow raised because I have a hint of skepticism floating around my brain. I'm thrown by the fact that Mama June went to TMZ first to release the statement of their separation. If you wanted to cause the biggest stir and garner the most attention, you'd head to TMZ. The news is already trending on Facebook. Twitter's calmed down a bit and Buzzfeed has yet to write their own quirky coverage. If this was something serious and more private, the couple (I hope) would have handed it over to the PR and Talent teams at TLC. This wouldn't be the first time celebrities used break-up rumors and the internet to attract more and more publicity. The whole Solange-JayZ-Beyonce-elevator fiasco was apparently all a hoax to boost her record sales. 

There are, obviously, more reasons to believe that this is actually the real deal. There is no premiere date for the fifth season. If this was a stunt, the breakup would have been kept secret until there was a premiere date, that way articles reporting on the break up would also allude to the new season. Free publicity, guaranteed to get internet traffic. Also, I find it hard to imagine Mama June being okay with lying, even if producers suggested it. The whole show succeeds because they're an authentic family. The only thing they've purchased as a family with the money from the show is a new car, the rest is in college funds for the girls. 

Either way, it's going to be a tough time for my girl June these next few weeks and my thoughts are with her and her family. No one deserves to have their whole life thrown into a tizzy over someone's selfishness. 

Philly Phriday: ShootersTV

Happy Friday! This week's feature is on ShootersTV, an off shoot of ShootersINC, that is housed on Walnut Street.

Shooters's biggest contribution to cable in has been one of the Food Network's standouts, Restaurant: Impossible. The series is currently in its ninth season, it still falls behind cult favorite Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives which is in its 17th season, but there have been no signs that the show is nearing an end. In 2013, according to Futon Critic, Restaurant: Impossible averaged 1,600,000 viewers in the second quarter with a rating of  0.679 among adults 18-49. It was the fifth top performer for the network. 

To put things into perspective... Keeping Up with the Kardashians recorded an average of 2,448,000 viewers. And (my favorite) Naked and Afraid averaged 2,931,000 viewers.

The show follows Chef Robert Irvine as he renovates restaurants that are financially going under and disappointing customers. It's an intriguing show mainly because Irvine does EVERYTHING. He fixes the menu, fixes the ambiance, fixes the kitchen, and sometimes even becomes a family counselor. It's a multi-layered show, but at the end of it, families and restaurants are saved. I'm a little turned off by Irvine's over the top behavior. He's intimidating, but I guess Gordon Ramsey paved the way for Chefs to be allowed and sometimes expected to act like drill sergeants. Anything less than that isn't worth putting on television.

Shooters has other shows on their resume, but few have survived more than a season. They worked with Discovery Channel to produce Bar Hunters in 2013. The show followed individuals that yearned to open their "dream bar", but there's been no word since the premiere season ended about the show's fate. I'm no expert, but I don't understand how Bar Hunters fits into Discovery's lineup. Bar Hunters's seems like a better fit for Destination America. I wonder if it was originally developed for Destination America and stolen by older-brother network, Discovery. This type of trading happens often in large companies like Discovery Communications. 

Fun Fact! John and Kate Plus 8 was originally developed for Discovery Health but TLC snatched it up for it's own programming because it rated so well. From there, it became a huge hit, as Kate is now signed on for more 1-hour specials on the network.

Shooters and Food Network's, Food Feud never gained any momentum either. It's been in limbo since it's original air date in 2010.  I wonder if Food Network approached Shooters with this program, or if Shooters pitched it to Food Network. I bring this up because I see this fitting Destination America's programming more, too. If Food Feud was the brainchild of the development people at Shooters, I bet they pitched it to DA, and I want to know why it wasn't picked up. Food Feud is all about putting local favorites against one another. The first episode was Geno's vs. Pat's. What's more Americana then that?

I emailed people at Shooters in hopes of getting more information about them. (i.e. what they're working on now) but I haven't gotten any response. So if you work at Shooters and are reading this.. hey, email me back cause that would be sweet. thanks.

Squealing & Screaming Already

The anticipation is real, but so is the hesitation. 

I've been a fan of American Horror Story since my sophomore year roommate suckered me into watching it. I'd never been someone who enjoyed being scared. I have a vivid imagination and horror never suited me. Or so I thought. Asylum was my first taste of it and after Adam Levine's arm got bitten off, I was hooked. Asylum was psychological, thrilling, bizarre, and worthy of a few blood-curdling screams from my side of the television. Coven was interesting. The shocking moments were few and far between, which was nice for the people I watched it with because I wasn't shrieking all the time. I didn't feel any real adrenaline pumping, though.

Sidebar: Coven ranks the highest of the three seasons on Rotten Tomatoes with an 81% from all critics. When you click the top credits option, however, Coven drops to a 73% and Asylum scores a 78%. 

What does get my adrenaline pumping... CLOWNS. Put on a red nose and I'm out. I can't even sit next to the statues of Ronald McDonald without feeling the inclination to puke or cry. That said, I am beyond amped for the new American Horror Story installment: Freak Show. The minute FX released the title, I felt my entire body crumble. But like many of the viewers, I am ready to torture myself, to sit and cry and scream and feel oh so alive.

Today, they released the first real trailer (eeeek!). It's funny that most news sources reporting on the release had to emphasize that it's "real". There have been fake ones circulating for months and some are pretty legit. Anyway, here it is:

First things first, I'm glad they haven't dropped the tradition of creepy music. The music for the AHS intros and promos have been spot on each year. Hauntingly eerie and uncomfortable, but catchy. This particular tune comes from Melanie Martinez, an alum of NBC's The Voice, who's one half Lana Del Ray and one half Lorde, mixed with a dose of crazy pills (seriously watch her Dollhouse music video and not squirm).

Thankfully, we finally get to see Jessica Lang, in all her glorious bitch power. Each year, she's flawless and with her character closing out the promo (the tents literally fall when she walks out) it proves that this season will be no different. Her character is an immigrant from Germany (cue the stereotypes about German women) who oversees the freak show.

Still missing, however, are returners Emma Roberts and Gaborey Sideibe. The only clues on Roberts's character is a name: Maggie. Sideibe's character has also been kept on the DL too. We know just her name: Patricia. Perhaps they don't have as prominent roles in this season, but we'll just have to wait to find out. I should mention that Sideibe was cast in a series called Empire, which is now in post-production, and could have caused scheduling issues.

Sidebar again! For those concerned that the promo isn't scary... click here and watch all of the short teasers. They're absolutely awful in the best way possible. If they're our gauge for how scary the season will be, I'M ALREADY HORRIFIED.

Here's the official description of the new season, as released by FX and creator Ryan Murphy (I still can't get over that he's the man behind Glee too):

"Season four of the FX anthology starts in Florida, circa 1952, and centers on a troupe of curiosities that arrives at the same time that a dark entity emerges, threatening the lives of townsfolk and freaks alike. This is the story of the performers and their desperate journey of survival amid the dying world of the American carny experience."

Fun Fact! Ryan Murphy directed the first episode of Freakshow... he hasn't directed an AHS episode since the very first episode of season 1, Murder House.

The only other major tidbit the Internet gives us in regards to the new season comes from IMDB. They have the first four episode titles listed!
ep 1: Monster Among Us (shaking in my boots over here)
ep 2: Massacres and Matinees (stop it right now *cries*)
ep 3: Edward Mordrake: Part One (who is this dude?)
ep 4: Edward Mordarke: Part Two (he has to be important if he gets two parts, no?)

The most frustrating this about this whole thing is that we still have some time to wait before the premiere on October 8th. So sit tight and brace yourself for the best worst season of AHS.

Philly Phriday: Nancy Glass Productions

Welcome to the first ever Philly Phriday! Each Friday, I'm going to highlight a production company that hails from the Philadelphia area. This week's spotlight is on...

If you don't know Nancy Glass, then you don't know television. Ms. Glass is a 6-time Emmy Award winning television host, producer, and writer. She's done it all and now owns her own company that does some pretty identifiable work. Nancy Glass specializes in non-fiction reality cable programming with current shows gracing the screen on networks like the Cooking Channel, Travel Channel, HGTV, Food Network, Animal Planet, and Nat Geo.

The company's recent success was secured by the execs over at Animal Planet. Charlie Foley, the EVP of Original Content over at Discovery Communications, developed the show concept and passed it over to Glass's team to produce. You should check out Charlie Foley, his resume is absolutely mind-blowing. The guy has a gift.

A bit of industry knowledge: television shows can be developed by in-house network executives and assigned to production companies or by development teams at production companies, who create them and then shop their ideas to various networks. 

Anyway, just last week, the series was renewed for a fifth season! This is monumental for Nancy Glass Productions because Animal Planet has seen a tremendous growth in the past two years because of shows like Tanked, River Monsters, and the most anticipated event of the year, every single year: PUPPY BOWL. It now ranks #16 in cable for men 25-54, which is huge for the network and Discovery Communications as a whole. 

Fun fact: Discovery Communications is the #1 Pay TV Provider in the world. They're huge. They own 100 channels in more than 180 countries and have 13 networks in the US alone. They're like the Roman Empire- the sun never sets on them.

The momentum keeps rolling for the Bala Cynwyd based company. Philadelphia-native and owner of La Colombe coffee, Todd Carmichael joined forces with Nancy Glass to create Dangerous Grounds. The reality series, which airs on Travel Channel, follows Carmichael as he scours the most exotic places across the globe looking for the best coffee beans. The hour-long episodes wooed audiences, which led Travel Channel to renew the series in 2013, green lighting a second season. The fate of the program is up in the air, as it is waiting for the go-ahead for season three, but I have faith. 

Another slam dunk for the company (and the last I'm going to go into detail on because I'm in need of a cat nap) is their yearly RV special that airs on HGTV... and has been since 2008. That's six years, people. Each year, Nancy Glass and her team follow three families as they navigate the US's most extravagant RV expo in hopes of finding their dream RV. Viewers get an inside look at all the fancy and flashy new technology used to make RVs even more luxurious. More than likely HGTV will order RV 2015 as the previous editions have done well. 

I should mention that Nancy Glass also has offices in LA, but if you Google her, the Philadelphia address comes up. First in Google's heart is first in my heart... which basically means it's not up for debate.

Baring it All: I Support Nude Shows

It's hard to miss all the nudity (or pixelated privates) on television in the past year. You have the groundbreaking Naked and Afraid on the Discovery Channel and Dating Naked, which is produced by Lighthearted Entertainment (the irony of this is so great) for VH1, amongst a long list of programs floating around in development. People get all worked up that these networks are manipulating viewers to click the show and watch by using nakedness as a kind of ploy. I scoff because television networks would never be able to convince consumers to watch their shows without a bit of gimmick. But not the tricky, conniving kind of gimmick. It's part of the business, trying to hook viewers with that one key word or image. We're a society that wants instant answers. We don't sit and read descriptions and log lines. We read the title and we judge the book. Networks are not manipulative per say, they're just smart. They know what grabs and what gets overlooked. Nakedness grabs you, whether you're comfortable admitting it or not. 

Once I was hooked and watching, I developed a different view of nudity. I'd like to think it's more mature and poetic. It's not utilized in these shows to be solely that "wow-factor" that makes the format different from the next. There is something more going on. For Naked and Afraid, the nudity symbolizes and reflects the complete vulnerability the contestants must battle through. It's not just that you are stranded in the rugged outdoors with one tool and one partner, but you're without clothes. There is NOTHING keeping the bugs from intruding your nooks and crannies. Nothing to protect you from the sun, poisonous plants, or tainted water. You're susceptible to anything and everything Mother Nature can throw at you.

It's also about survival and teamwork overcoming preconceived notions and beliefs. You have to stay warm and your only chance at avoiding hypothermia (forget comfort, that doesn't exist on this show) is by snuggling up to this other naked person who is not your significant other. You have to look at the human body as a way to survive, not as a sexual object, and you have to trust your partner is doing the same. It's dehumanizing in a strangely empowering way. You're using me as an object to keep you warm, yes, but I am the reason you can still feel your fingers and with your fingers we were able to build a shelter and hunt and survive. It's also intriguing to see how people adjust their morals to survive. In the Cambodia episode, the male contestant, Tom, refused to spoon his partner, Carrie. He was committed to his wife and couldn't bend that to support his partner. On one end, you want to commend Tom for sticking to his guns, regardless of the situation he was thrown in. His beliefs are sturdy and that should be commended. Right? But then you have the flip side- why couldn't he detach from the situation? Why did he sexualize the situation? The show is so multi-layered, it's fascinating. These topics aren't laid out for the viewers to dissect. If you want to view the show for what it is, you can. But the opportunity to engage more and to question more is there, which is why I think this program has seen such success and doesn't get berated by the media for using nudity as a cheap gimmick.

Thinking more of vanity, it's also not about the physical because you don't shower, shave, or brush your teeth for 21 days. If being naked was meant to woo viewers in a sexual and provocative way, they wouldn't make it look so gross and grimy. I'm personally not turned on by men covered in dirt, smelling rotten, with cuts infested by flies and maggots. And it's really hard for me to imagine someone being like wow- that girl looks so cute with bugs in her hair and pixelated boobs. The nudity isn't there for you to gawk at. 

As for Dating Naked, I haven't yet tuned in. But I can only hope the nudity provides depth instead of friskiness.