ITV

Tag: NBC

  • Taylor Swift joins ‘The Voice’ as adviser

    Taylor Swift joins ‘The Voice’ as adviser

    MUMBAI: Pop star Taylor Swift is all set to join the seventh season of NBC’s reality singing competition The Voice as a guest mentor, according to media reports.

     

    Swift, 24, is said to be taking part in an episode as an advisor to the contestants. She will be part of mentors that will include Stevie Nicks, Gavin Rossdale, country music vocal group Little Big Town, and Alicia Keys. She will serve in the same capacity that Coldplay singer Chris Martin aided the show in its sixth season, advising contestants across all four teams.

     

    This will not be the first time that the singer will be seen on the show. She was a guest performer in the fourth season and was featured in a segment of the episode.

     

    Swift will also be performing with The Voice coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and newcomers Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams, according to the Huffington Post.

     

    She will also be working with veterans Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, as well as new coaches Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams, who were added to the lineup for the upcoming season.

     

    The seventh season of The Voice will premiere on 22 September. Swift’s appearance will coincide with the release of her fifth album, “1989,” which has been touted to be the singer’s first “official pop album.”

  • NBC orders ‘Allegiance’ to series

    NBC orders ‘Allegiance’ to series

    MUMBAI: NBC has ordered to series the spy drama Allegiance from writer George Nolfi (THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, OCEAN’S TWELVE), who also directed the pilot episode. The show is adapted from the original award-winning Israeli series MICE (Gordin Cell), which is produced by Tedy Productions for Israeli satcaster YES and Keshet Broadcasting, and distributed internationally by Keshet International.

     

    Allegiance is executive produced by Nolfi and Keshet Media Group CEO Avi Nir (Homeland) along with Yona Wisenthal from Yes and creators of the original Israeli show Ron Leshem, Amit Cohen and Giyora Yahalom. The series is a production of Universal Television, Keshet Media Group and YES.

     

    In Allegiance, Alex O’Connor, a young idealistic CIA analyst specializing in Russian affairs, learns a shocking secret and his close-knit, affluent family is about to be split apart when its revealed that his parents, Mark (Scott Cohen, Necessary Roughness) and Katya (Hope Davis, The Newsroom, In Treatment) are covert Russian spies deactivated decades ago.  But today the Kremlin has re-enlisted them into service as they plan a terrorist operation inside the U.S. border that will bring America to its knees.  Years ago, Russian-born Katya was tasked by the KGB to recruit American businessman Mark O’Connor as a spy and the two fell in love. A deal was struck: as long as Katya remained an asset for Russia, and it was agreed that her services could be called on in the future, she would be allowed to marry Mark and move to America. After years in America building a happy life and without word from Moscow, they thought they had escaped. Now it seems that the new Mother Russia has one more mission — turning Alex into a spy. For these anguished parents, the choice is clear: Betray their country or risk their family.

     

    Allegiance is the latest show from Keshet to be ordered to series in the US, following Tim Kring and Gideon Raff’s international thriller series Dig starring Jason Isaacs and Anne Heche for USA Networks; Tyrant, from Fox 21 of which Keshet is an executive producer, the David Yates-directed drama from Homeland executive producers Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff and Six Feet Under alum Craig Wright, for FX; and a fourth-season greenlight of the Emmy and Golden Globe® award-winning spy drama Homeland for Showtime.

     

    The Israeli original was created by Ron Leshem, Amit Cohen, Giora Yaalom and Danni Sirkin and produced by Tedy productions headed by Tmira Yardeni.

  • Fox and Paramount TV to air ‘Grease Live’ musical event in 2015

    Fox and Paramount TV to air ‘Grease Live’ musical event in 2015

    MUMBAI: Get ready to do the hand jive as Fox enrolls at Rydell High with Grease Live, a live three-hour production of the massively popular crossover musical Grease. The announcement was made by Fox Broadcasting Company chairman of entertainment Kevin Reilly and Paramount Television. Scheduled to air LIVE in 2015 and featuring a young ensemble cast, Grease Live will reintroduce the great music and timeless story to an entirely new generation.

     

    Based on the 1971 Broadway musical of the same name with book, lyrics and music by the legendary team of Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs, the 1978 hit film Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, grossed nearly $400 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing movie musical ever. 

     

    “From Broadway to film, and across generations, Grease is one of the most beloved musical stories ever told – and we can’t wait to bring it to air in a spectacular live event,” said FOX senior VP of event series Shana C. Waterman in a statement said, “Its iconic characters and addictive songs make it the perfect fit for Fox, and we’re going to give it the kind of star power and production quality to make every Sandy, Danny, Rizzo and Kenickie out there want to get up and sing along.”

     

    “It’s incredibly exciting to have one of our first major network productions be based on this universally celebrated Paramount title, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Kevin, Joe and Shana on this epic television event,” said Paramount TV president Amy Powell in the statement. “Fox’s passion for engaging audiences with bold storytelling and live musical formats make it a perfect home for this special broadcast.”

     

    Fox’s move to adapt Grease for live TV comes after National Broadcasting Company (NBC) collected massive ratings for its Sound of Music Live broadcast in December. That musical live event collected about 22 million total viewers in the US. NBC will follow Sound of Music with a live performance of Peter Pan set for 4 December in the US, reteaming with Sound of Music Live and Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

     

    In India, Raell Padamsee’s Ace Productions have been basking in glory after their recent successful production of Grease which has been a commercial success and a critical darling since its opening night.

     

    Grease Live is bound to electrify television audiences everywhere with live performances of the unforgettable Casey/Jacobs songs “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’” and “We Go Together”; as well as the iconic songs written by John Farrar, “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and ”You’re the One That I Want.” The broadcast will re-imagine some of the story’s most memorable moments and characters from the T-Birds and Pink Ladies, including Danny Zuko, Rizzo and Sandy. 

  • NBC resurrects cult favourite TV series, Heroes

    NBC resurrects cult favourite TV series, Heroes

    MUMBAI: An iconic series that still commands a rabid fan base, Heroes will return to the network in 2015 as an event miniseries with original creator and executive producer Tim Kring (Touch) at the helm, it was announced on 23 February by National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Entertainment President Jennifer Salke.

     

    NBC has ordered 13 episodes for a new stand-alone story arc entitled Heroes: Reborn, with all details of storylines and characters being kept under wraps. “The enormous impact ‘Heroes’ had on the television landscape when it first launched in 2006 was eye-opening,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke in a press statement.

     

    “Shows with that kind of resonance don’t come around often and we thought it was time for another instalment. We’re thrilled that visionary creator Tim Kring was as excited about jumping back into this show as we were and we look forward to all the new textures and layers Tim plans to add to his original concept. Until we get closer to air in 2015, the show will be appropriately shrouded in secrecy, but we won’t rule out the possibility of some of the show’s original cast members popping back in.”

     

    The original series chronicled the life-changing stories of a series of unrelated ordinary people who discovered they had superhuman abilities. As the saga unfolded, they learned they were part of a grand plan that brought them together to change the world.

     

    With the return of Heroes: Reborn, NBC will launch a digital series prior to the 2015 premiere that will introduce the characters and new storylines. This leveraging of social media is being used as a way for fans to re-engage with what was one for the true pioneers in multiplatform storytelling.

     

    The iconic science fiction series, which ran on NBC from 2006-10 and was an immediate hit, ranked as television’s #1 new drama with an average audience of 14.5 million viewers during its initial season. The show was Golden Globe-nominated in its first year of eligibility for best drama series; it won the BAFTA Award for best international series, the AFI Award, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award, two People’s Choice Awards and the Television Critics Association Award for Program of the Year.

     

    In India, Heroes aired on STAR World and FX India.

  • Emmy awards to air on a Monday because of NBC

    Emmy awards to air on a Monday because of NBC

    MUMBAI: In a recent update from National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will now air on Monday, August 25, instead of its traditional Sunday slot.
     
     

    This year, the network and the TV Academy have taken an unexpected decision by scheduling the show on a Monday. Earlier, it was almost 40 years ago on 17 May, 1976 that the Emmy was aired on a Monday. The Oscars used to air on Mondays before moving to Sundays in 1998, and the Golden Globes have aired on Sundays since 1996.
     
     

    According to NBC, the particular date was chosen because of possible scheduling conflict with pre season National Football League (NFL). While the network has not given any other details, the NFL has not released its schedule for the 2014-15 season. However, usually, the season starts on the first Thursday of September with primetime games starting the following Sunday and Monday. Four years ago, when NBC aired the Emmys in late August, the NFL aired a pre season game that night on Fox. 
     
     

    This year’s telecast of the award show will air live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The Television Academy and NBC are yet to announce the host and the producers for the show. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards, at which the Emmys for the technical categories will be presented, will take place on Saturday, 16 August.

  • Bill Cosby set for comeback with NBC’s family comedy

    Bill Cosby set for comeback with NBC’s family comedy

    MUMBAI: Once a household name in the 1980s, Bill Cosby is believed to be returning with a half-hour family comedy. According to recent reports NBC has signed on the 1984, The Cosby Show star in an effort to revive the sitcom genre and pump in some much needed ratings for the network.

     

    Cosby will be looking to bring some of the old magic back to NBC, which has been going through a rough time with comedies. The deal brings the 76-year-old entertainer together with a writing staff to create a script for a comedy that casts Cosby as the patriarch of a multigenerational family and, like the comedian’s previous family sitcoms – Cosby Show and Cosby on CBS – will see him giving his take on marriage and parenting.

     

    Cosby’s latest TV venture is Bill Cosby: Far From Finished, a stand-up comedy special that premiered on Comedy Central in November.

  • Golden Globe Awards gets best viewership in 10 years

    Golden Globe Awards gets best viewership in 10 years

    MUMBAI: Sunday’s telecast of the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards seems to have exceeded all expectations. If numbers are to be believed the gala drew its best audience in the past decade with 20.9 million people tuning in to watch the Hollywood awards show, Comcast Corp-owned network NBC stated on Monday.

     

    The three-hour awards show, which honors the year’s achievements in film and television, rose six percent in total viewers compared to last year and was up two percent in the 18-49 age group most coveted by advertisers, according to early figures from Nielsen Media Research.

     

    The show hosted for a second consecutive year by comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler was received well once again as the Golden Globe Awards beat other televised ceremonies such as the Emmys and People’s Choice Awards for viewers. The duo have already signed on to host next year’s Golden Globes.

     

    Big film winners at the Golden Globes, which are handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, were historical slavery drama 12 Years a Slave and 1970s corruption romp American Hustle.

  • CBS bags the rights to telecast the Hollywood Film Awards

    CBS bags the rights to telecast the Hollywood Film Awards

    MUMBAI: With the awards season just round the corner, news is CBS has struck a deal with Dick Clark Productions for exclusive broadcast rights of the Hollywood Film Awards, a relatively lesser known fest that has never had the privilege of television exposure.

     

    Created 17 years ago by Carlos de Abreu, the Hollywood Film Awards ceremony hasn’t really managed to grab eyeballs in comparison to the Oscars or Golden Globes, but it what it has managed in recent years is to draw A-listers to attend the show. The event has typically taken place in the fall and is seen as the unofficial starter for awards season. The most recent Hollywood Film Awards were held in October at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

     

    The channel already boasts of the exclusive rights for the Grammy Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards, but is yet to announce an air date for its first telecast of the Hollywood Film Awards. According to reports the show’s initial telecast would likely be either late this year or, should the network decide to heat up the action, move the franchise closer to the Globes and Oscars, early next year.

     

    With no dearth of awards shows on television, many continue to draw strong ratings. Live events such as sports and awards shows are seen as more valuable in this digital age where people have the facility to record and keep their favourite shows for leisure viewing.

     

    What remains to be seen is if CBS manages to steal the Golden Globes from the NBC network in the coming years, as the event is also created by Dick Clark Productions.

  • NBC show will send someone into space

    NBC show will send someone into space

    MUMBAI: The network has announced that it is teaming with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and veteran TV producer Mark Burnett on ‘Space Race’, a competition where the winner gets a ride on the space liner that is expected to begin commercial flights sometime next year.

     

    “The term  trip of a lifetime’ has for once been delivered on,” said NBC’s president of alternative and late-night programming Paul Telegdy. “This will be a remarkable experience for anyone who has looked at the night’s sky and dared to dream of space flight.”

     

    Virgin has been testing its rocket-powered space vehicle this year, with pilots reaching a height of 69,000 feet on a 5 Sept flight that landed in the Mojave Desert near Virgin Galactic’s facility there. Virgin has said the goal is to begin commercial flights next year, with Branson and his family taking the first ride.

     

    Virgin has already collected $80 million in deposits from 640 people interested in experiencing the weightlessness of space.

     

    A TV show could be great publicity for Branson’s company. Competitors, such as billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX, are also working to make commercial spaceflight a reality.

     

    Burnett, the producer behind ‘The Voice’ and ‘Survivor’, said he has wanted for 10 years to make a show with the goal of letting an average person experience looking down on Earth from the black sky of space.

     

    However, NBC offered no estimate on when ‘Space Race’ would air.

  • Legendary David Frost is no more

    Legendary David Frost is no more

    MUMBAI: Sir David Frost, the veteran broadcaster and writer, died of a suspected heart attack while traveling aboard the Queen Elizabeth where he was delivering a speech on Saturday night, according to the BBC. He was 74.

     

    Frost’s long career spanned journalism, heavy-hitting TV interviews, game show hosting and comedy writing. He notably conducted a series of televised sit-downs with former president Richard Nixon in 1977. They were the basis of a 2006 play by Peter Morgan, which was then adapted as Ron Howard’s 2008 film, Frost/Nixon.

     

    Michael Sheen played Frost and the film was nominated for five Oscars. In the early 1960s, Frost hosted the satirical program That Was The Week That Was on the BBC and also featured on an American version for NBC from 1964-1965. In 1968, he helped launch London Weekend Television, which is now part of ITV.

     

    His other on-air TV credits included The Frost Report, The David Frost Show, Through The Keyhole, Breakfast With Frost and, more recently, Frost Over The World for Al Jazeera English.