ITV

Tag: Harry Connick

  • Fox to bring down curtains on ‘American Idol’ in 2016; lines up new shows

    Fox to bring down curtains on ‘American Idol’ in 2016; lines up new shows

    MUMBAI: Popular reality show American Idol will begin its 15th – and final – season in January 2016 on Fox.

     

    A season-long celebratory event, American Idol XV will feature host Ryan Seacrest and judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr., as they search for the final Idol superstar and pay tribute to the past 14 seasons of talented contestants and the millions of fans who tweeted, texted and championed their Idols.

     

    The reality show began in 2002 and was a huge success. Over the years, American Idol has been responsible for churning out singing stars like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson.

     

    NEW SHOWS

     

    Additionally, Fox also announced that its old hit The X-Files will debut with a special two-night event beginning 24 January, following the NFC Championship Game, and continuing with its time period premiere on 25 January. The thrilling, six-episode event series, helmed by creator/executive producer Chris Carter and starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, marks the momentous return of the Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning pop culture phenomenon, which remains one of the longest-running sci-fi series in network television history.

     

    Come September, Fox will also be bringing back the new TV hit Empire. The show is expected to run up to 18 episodes next season, up from the 12 this year.

     

    Fox will also introduce a series of new shows in 2016 like the devilish drama Lucifer, which is based on a DC Comics story and modern gothic action series The Frankenstein Code; and two comedies, The Guide To Surviving Life and animated Bordertown.

     

    In addition, two new dramas – the futuristic Minority Report and the Miami-set Rosewood will debut this fall. Based on Steven Spielberg’s international blockbuster film and the first of his films to be adapted for television, Minority Report follows the partnership between a man (Stark Sands) haunted by the future and a cop (Meagan Good) haunted by her past, as they race to stop the worst crimes before they happen.

     

    Ryan Murphy will return with a new show, Scream Queens, which stars Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis. Additionally, John Stamos will lead a new comedy titled Grandfathered, and Rob Lowe and Fred Savage will star in The Grinder. New Girl returns to the Tuesday comedy block in January with a season of uninterrupted episodes.

     

    As previously announced, Grease:Live, a three-hour production of the massively popular crossover musical Grease, starring superstar singers, dancers and actresses Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens, will air live on 31 January, 2016 on Fox.

     

    Additional Fox series include: Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, Bob’s Burgers, Boom!, Bones, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bullseye, Family Guy, Gotham, Hell’s Kitchen, Masterchef, Masterchef Junior, The Simpsons, Sleepy Hollow, So You Think You Can Dance and World’s Funniest.

  • ‘American Idol’ format gets tweaked for Season 13

    ‘American Idol’ format gets tweaked for Season 13

    MUMBAI: In addition to changing the judges of the reality show American Idol from Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj to Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. joining Steven Tyler, the producers of the long running reality competition series have decided to tweak the show a bit in its new season.

     

    At the Television Critics’ Association Press Tour 2014, executive producer Trish Kinane said that there will be a new element called “The Chamber” that will look at the contestants just after Ryan sends them off to perform in front of the judges during the auditions.

     

    The contestants will collect themselves in a small room — “some people pray, some people sing, some people look under their arms to see if they’re perspiring. They’re intimate moments that tell you a lot about the kids,” Kinane said.

     

    The middle rounds will be condensed into one week too. Titled the Rush Week, former “Idol” Randy Jackson reemerge and conduct a two-day workshop ahead of the live shows where contestants examine their musical style and decide what look they want. It will be followed by tips from the experts. “He’s been through it for 12 years,” Kinane said. “He’s seen these kids come and go. He has a lot to offer.”

     

    Along with the changes made by the producers, the producers are taking a new approach to the music theme this year. And for those tired of the same old songs, the producers have indicated that they have expanded the song lists. “There are many more contemporary songs in the lists,” Kinane said.

     

    In India, the latest season of American Idol will air on Zee Café from 19 March onwards.

  • Zee Cafe brings 3 of America’s biggest reality shows

    Zee Cafe brings 3 of America’s biggest reality shows

    MUMBAI: The viewers of Zee Café will become a witness to three of America’s highest rated reality series. The channel has signed an exclusive deal with Freemantle Media to bring the latest and multiple seasons of American Idol, America’s Got Talent and The X Factor to India.

     

    Come 19 March, Zee Café will air the 13th season of American Idol that starts in the US from 15 January with a revamped judging panel. While Keith Urban will return for the second time on the judging panel; Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson have been replaced by Harry Connick Jr. and Jennifer Lopez. Ryan Seacrest will return as the host. The last edition of the show was often in the midst of controversies because of the constant cold war between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.

     

    Interestingly, the finale of the show will be aired live on the channel along with US (Zee Café plans to catch up with US by airing the show on weekdays regularly) and soon after that the channel will air the 8th season of America’s Got Talent. Joining actor Howie Mendel and radio personality Howard Stern at the judges panel this year would be supermodel and host of Project Runway, Heidi Klum, along with former Spice Girls member Melanie Brown (aka Mel B), replacing Sharon Osbourne.

     

    And that’s not all! Following America’s Got Talent would be airing of The X Factor towards the end of the year. The X Factor judges panel will include Simon Cowell, singer and actress Paulina Rubio, former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland and songstress Demi Lovato.

     

    Zee Café EVP and business head Anurag Bedi, said, “We believe in bringing the best and the latest content to our viewers. These shows are synonymous with entertainment and unarguably amongst the biggest reality shows on television. Having seen the affinity the audience here has for reality shows, we are confident that these shows will be amongst the biggest shows of 2014 and will strengthen Zee Cafe’s leadership position in the English entertainment genre”.

     

    Bedi thinks that these shows already have a huge fan following in India, considering the local adaptations on Hindi GECs have worked really well. However, it’s the channel’s marketing initiatives that would work in its favour, says Bedi, who is undeterred by the fact that the previous seasons of these shows were aired on different networks. While American Idol previously aired on two different channels in India – Star World (2004-2011) and Big CBS channels (2012-2013), X Factor aired on the Big CBS channels and America’s Got Talent was aired on VH1. Bedi said, “How a show does on one platform may be very different from how it will perform on another. The content itself is of par excellence and the buzz that we create will definitely bring in viewership. We will bring in appointment viewing with these shows.”

     

    Fremantle Media EVP of sales & distribution Asia Ganesh Rajaram, said: “These shows have become a global phenomenon, engaging audiences all over the world because of its ability to attract amazingly talented hopefuls with brilliant stories to tell. We’re delighted that Indian audiences will get to enjoy these shows on Zee Café.”

     

    Given the magnanimous reach of these shows already all around the world, the marketing strategies have been decisively planned. “Considering that these shows will be amongst our tent pole properties for this year, we will take an aggressive 360 degree marketing approach to promote them,” says Bedi, also adding that the shows will be aired in the prime-time slot and will target the young urban youth. “9 pm has a very high PUT among the TG 15-24 who is the viewer of this content. We are confident it will do well at this time band,” he remarks.

     

    While Bedi didn’t divulge any details about the sponsors on board for the shows, considering the popularity of the shows some interesting deals are to be finalised.

     

    The fans of these English reality shows have seriously something interesting to look forward to!