ITV

Tag: NBC

  • NBC to air back to back episodes of ‘The Apprentice’ on Monday

    NBC to air back to back episodes of ‘The Apprentice’ on Monday

    MUMBAI: For one night only, US broadcaster NBC will air back-to-back episodes of the business based reality show The Apprentice on 10 April.

    The candidates in the first hour hammer it out in the renovation business as the teams are given their seventh task – create an activity area in a local Boys & Girls Club as part of Ace Hardware’s charity program. In the second hour, the candidates launch a new pizza sandwich and a losing team gains an opposing teammate. In India, the show airs on Star World.

    In the first hour, Gold Rush tries to nail down a win when Lenny volunteers to be the project manager, hoping to prove to Donald that he can lead the team to victory – but he is troubled with managing a negative teammate. Michael, the project manager for Synergy, has a good concept, but drives his team crazy. The winners help make a child’s dream come true by partnering with the “Make A Wish Foundation,” while the losers face a hammering in the boardroom.

    In the second episode, the remaining candidates launch a new pizza sandwich for 7-Eleven, one candidate volunteers to switch sides to help out a losing team, while the team tries to make the biggest sale imaginable. The winners jet out of town to dine with US Senator Chuck Schumer, while the losers get grilled in the boardroom.

  • Viewers to help Donald Trump to decide on his next ‘Apprentice’

    Viewers to help Donald Trump to decide on his next ‘Apprentice’

    MUMBAI: For the first time in the history of US broadcaster NBC’s business based reality show The Apprentice, fans will have the opportunity to advise Trump on who he should select to be the next Apprentice.

    NBC has announced that in the penultimate week, viewers will be able to vote for one of the final two candidates via phone and on-line at www.NBC.com. The results of America’s favourite candidate will be presented to Trump during the live finale before he makes his final decision.

    www.NBC.com is hosting an ongoing weekly poll where viewers can vote for their favourite candidate and track their weekly progress.

    Trump says, “I am very anxious to see who the fans choose for their favourite finalist — their decision could have a big effect on my ultimate decision”.

    Reality TV guru Mark Burnett who created the show says, “Over the past four seasons of The Apprentice, Donald Trump has used the final episode to hire candidates with advice only from George and Carolyn . This year we thought it would be interesting to discover what America has to say about the candidates, incorporating our fans and viewers as virtual judges. While Trump will still be the final arbiter of who he hires, America’s feedback is certain to have an impact on his decision.”

    The episode on 3 April follows Gold Rush and Synergy as they take on the music world to write an original jingle for the popular restaurant chain Arby’s. Judged by Arby’s executives, the team with the most effective but creative jingle wins. The winning team enjoys a scrumptious reward and the losers face the music in the boardroom.

  • Pop star Briteny Spears to guest star on ‘Will And Grace’

    Pop star Briteny Spears to guest star on ‘Will And Grace’

    MUMBAI: Pop star Britney Spears will guest star on US broadcaster NBC’s sitcom Will And Grace.

    She guest-stars as a Christian conservative sidekick to Jack played by Sean Hayes. In the episode, when “Out TV” is bought by a Christian Television Network, Spears is brought on to be Jack’s new religious co-host, until Will played by Eric McCormack and Jack loosen her up. Spears brings her own additions to the talk show when she decides to do a cooking segment called “Cruci-fixin’s.”

    Dubbed by MTV as “one of the last teenage pop superstars of the 20th century,” Spears enjoyed her breakthrough success at the end of 1998. She appeared in local dance revues and church choirs as a young girl, and at the age of eight, auditioned for “The Mickey Mouse Club.” Although she was too young to join the series, a producer on the show gave her an introduction to a New York agent. She subsequently spent three summers at the Professional Performing Arts School Center.

  • It is a ‘Windfall’ for NBC this summer

    It is a ‘Windfall’ for NBC this summer

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster NBC will air a drama Windfall with Luke Perry, Lana Parrilla, Jason Gedrick, Sarah Wynter and D.J. Cotrona.

    The show follows 20 lottery winners after their unexpected good fortune and premieres on 8 June 2006.

    NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly says, “This is an engaging and dramatic series with an extremely talented cast. Windfall is an important component of our summer lineup and exemplifies our commitment to quality year round original programming.”

    The show follows 20 lottery winners in the wake of winning a massive, 386 million-dollar lottery. Unfortunately, their initial ecstasy is tempered by the romantic, social and family complications caused by instant wealth.

    At the center is a close-knit foursome who have known each other since college when the ‘wrong’ spouses were in love. Perry stars as Peter Schaefer, a devoted husband to Nina played by Parrilla and father of two. Parrilla finds herself caught between her love for her husband and the deep feelings she has for her college beau and her husband’s best friend, Cameron Walsh, played by Gedrick. Sarah Wynter plays Cameron’s loving but suspicious wife.

    A relative stranger to their circle is Cotrona as Sean Mathers, who finds that winning the lottery threatens to expose a dark secret in his past. Also, for Damien Cutler a rebellious teen, winning the cash means he is set free from his parents — with millions in his pocket. Alice Greczyn stars as Frankie, a 16-year-old girl whose separated parents’ newfound wealth sets off a marital war. Rounding out the cast is Jaclyn DeSantis who plays Maggie Hernandez, a nurse whose generous heart and newfound wealth prove to be a dangerous combo.

  • NBC to make webisodes for sitcom ‘The Office’

    NBC to make webisodes for sitcom ‘The Office’

    MUMBAI: In a move to further leverage the internet US broadcaster NBC has announced that its sitcom The Office goes digital with 10 stand-alone webisodes premiering on NBC.com this summer.

    The serialised arc will star the accounting staff of the Dunder Mifflin paper company in a whodunit.

    When the Dunder Mifflin accountants — Angela (Angela Kinsey), Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) and Oscar (Oscar Nunez) — discover that $3000 is missing from the Scranton office, no one is above suspicion, as the crack team of numbers crunchers tries to solve the mystery before turning on each other. Rainn Wilson, Melora Hardin, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannigan, Leslie David Baker and David Denman also star.

    Earlier NBC had announced a deal with MSN to stream to stream the entire first two episodes of the upcoming drama series Heist on the Internet. NBC will also provide MSN Video with a 16-minute special sneak-peek presentation of the debut episode from 14 March until the 22 March broadcast premiere

    NBC says that since moving to Thursday nights in January The Office has averaged a 4.5 rating, 11 per cent share in adults 18-49 and 8.7 million viewers overall. That represents a 22 per cent increase over the show’s 18-49 average for Tuesday telecasts earlier this season (3.7/9 in 18-49, 7.7 million viewers overall) and an 80 percent increase over The Office’s average for the 2004-05 season (2.5/6 in 18-49, 5.4 million viewers overall), when it also aired on Tuesday nights.

    The Office takes a funny look at the interactions of the desk jockeys at Dunder Mifflin paper-supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Golden Globe winner Steve Carell The 40-Year-Old Virgin, whom E! Online said, “might be the funniest man alive” stars as unctuous regional manager Michael Scott who hosts the documentary crew on a tour of the workplace. Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson and B.J. Novak star as the employees who tolerate Michael’s inappropriate behaviour only because he signs their pay checks.

  • Endemol inks two-year deal with Channel 4 for ‘Deal or No Deal’

    Endemol inks two-year deal with Channel 4 for ‘Deal or No Deal’

    MUMBAI: Endemol has inked a two year deal with Channel 4 in the UK for the game show format Deal or No Deal.

    The deal runs from January 2006 to December 2007.

    Channel 4 has been broadcasting Deal or No Deal in the afternoon slot since October 2005 and has been winning audiences of up to 4.8 million and has a 38 per cent share.

    It has consistently been the most watched programme in its slot across all UK channels and won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Daytime Programme last week.

    The show has also just achieved an audience of up to five million viewers and a 23.6 per cent share in an additional peak time Saturday night slot on Channel 4. This was also the highest number of viewers across all channels at that time.

    Endemol International has now sold the Deal or No Deal format to 45 countries worldwide including the USA where it is a prime time hit for NBC. In India, the show airs on Sony and is hosted by Mandira Bedi.

  • NBC teams up with MSN for streaming Heist

    NBC teams up with MSN for streaming Heist

    MUMBAI: NBC and Microsoft has formed a partnership that will offer MSN Video the exclusive rights to stream the entire first two episodes of NBC’s upcoming drama series Heist on the Internet.

    NBC will also provide MSN Video with a 16-minute special sneak-peek presentation of the debut episode from 14 March until the 22 March broadcast premiere
    The episodes will be available as encores for one week after each of their airings, at 10 p.m., ET, on 22 and 29 March respectively.

    NBC Universal Television Group chief marketing office John Miller said, “This relationship with Microsoft allows us to further enhance our marketing opportunities to draw attention to our shows from increasingly popular sites and formats.It’s a perfect marriage of technology and content, and we believe it is also tailor-made to reach out to the target demographic for this hot new series.”

    Heist is directed by Doug Liman (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity) and written by Mark and Robb Cullen (FX’s Lucky). The series is described as a fast-paced, serialized drama with an ensemble cast playing burglars who attempt one of the biggest heists in history – to simultaneously rob the most renowned jewellery stores on Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive during Academy Awards week. The series is produced by Hypnotic, NBC Universal Television Studio and Sony Pictures Television.

    Reports also state that MSN.com will offer a Heist photo gallery, top billing on its TV and entertainment homepages, and promotion on the video homepage, among other placements.

  • Diddy inks reality cooking show deal with NBC

    Diddy inks reality cooking show deal with NBC

    MUMABI: Hip-hop mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Reville’s Ben Silverman will bring to NBC a five-night reality mini-series, Celebrity Cooking Showdown, taking elements from the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.

    The series will air 17 to 21 April. Celebrity Cooking Showdown is produced by Reveille in association with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment.

    It will match three celebrity chefs to train side-by-side with nine celebrities. After one-on-one coaching, the competition will play out in real time in front of a live studio audience as the stars race against the clock to complete their meal.

    NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said, “Celebrity Cooking Showdown is going to be a unique, high-energy take on the time-tested cooking genre that works consistently across the television landscape. It’s about great food, terrific personalities and big-time pressure.”

    Executive producer and Reveille CEO Silverman added, “Cooking shows have commanded huge ratings around the world, and we can’t wait to bring this exciting new competitive format to primetime network TV.”

    The celebrity chefs include Wolfgang Puck, Cat Cora (Food Network’s Iron Chef America) and Govind Armstrong (Table 8, Los Angeles). Names of several celebrities signing on will be announced later this week.

    “The hottest trend right now is the art of cooking. Celebrities competing in the high-pressure arena of the world’s top chefs will make great television,” said Combs.

  • HBO series Six Feet Under to be aired on Bravo

    HBO series Six Feet Under to be aired on Bravo

    MUMBAI: The NBC Universal-owned cable network Bravo has acquired the exclusive rebroadcast rights to 63 one-hour episodes of HBO’s critically acclaimed drama series Six Feet Under for the next four years.

    To be telecast on Bravo in the fall of 2006, Six Feet Under is a darkly comedic series about the trials and tribulations of a family of undertakers, played out against the solemn backdrop of an independent funeral home in Los Angeles. The series ran on HBO for five years.

    Six Feet Under was created by Alan Ball, Oscar-winning writer of the film American Beauty. The acclaimed series ended its run on HBO last year. It received 32 Emmy nominations and won seven times, and was nominated for eight Golden Globes, winning three.

    Bravo’s president Lauren Zalaznick said, “Six Feet Under represents the artistic, creative and critically acclaimed series that defines Bravo’s programming. The phenomenon that hooked so many HBO viewers will be brought back to ‘life’ on our air, now available to more than 80 million households, with its signature dark situational humor and dramatic irony.”

    Earlier, Bravo had acquired the rights to and aired HBO’s The Larry Sanders Show, as well as NBC’s The West Wing.

  • HBO series Six Feet Under to be aired on Bravo

    MUMBAI: The NBC Universal-owned cable network Bravo has acquired the exclusive rebroadcast rights to 63 one-hour episodes of HBO’s critically acclaimed drama series Six Feet Under for the next four years.

    To be telecast on Bravo in the fall of 2006, Six Feet Under is a darkly comedic series about the trials and tribulations of a family of undertakers, played out against the solemn backdrop of an independent funeral home in Los Angeles. The series ran on HBO for five years.

    Six Feet Under was created by Alan Ball, Oscar-winning writer of the film American Beauty. The acclaimed series ended its run on HBO last year. It received 32 Emmy nominations and won seven times, and was nominated for eight Golden Globes, winning three.

    Bravo’s president Lauren Zalaznick said, “Six Feet Under represents the artistic, creative and critically acclaimed series that defines Bravo’s programming. The phenomenon that hooked so many HBO viewers will be brought back to ‘life’ on our air, now available to more than 80 million households, with its signature dark situational humor and dramatic irony.”

    Earlier, Bravo had acquired the rights to and aired HBO’s The Larry Sanders Show, as well as NBC’s The West Wing.