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Tag: Wisteria Lane

  • Desperate Housewives alum Marcia Cross marks her return to TV

    Desperate Housewives alum Marcia Cross marks her return to TV

    MUMBAI: After a year and a half of bidding adieu to Wisteria Lane, Desperate Housewives alum Marcia Cross is returning to television in the form of the female lead role in Fox’s new TV comedy, Fatrick. Fatrick centers on Patrick, a 30-something man who realises that his life isn’t quite where it should be. The former fat kid is forced to face the damage caused by years of being “Fatrick,” a chubby little kid just trying to survive.

     

    The comedy will take place in the past – showing “Fatrick” at school and at home – as well as in the present. In the series, Marcia Cross would play Patrick’s mother Arlene, a fit, energetic nutritionist who is rigid and intense when it comes to her family’s eating habits. Proud of her skinny daughter, she’s not quite as keen on her “plumper” offspring. Arlene means well when it comes to her family, but she has a little filter problem.

     

    This marks the biggest half-hour commitment for EMMY and Golden Globe nominee Cross, who had largely done drama series before her turn in the comedic one-hour Desperate Housewives. She took a break after the end of the ABC series to spend time with her twin girls, born while Cross was on the show, and is now making her return to TV.

     

    “Fatrick” is written by Nahnatchka Khan (Don’t Trust the B – in Apt 23) and Corey Nickerson. It will mark the TV directing debut for Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, who won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the George Clooney starring film The Descendants. The show was ordered last month. Desperate Housewives has been a ratings hit in India for Star World over the past few years.

  • Desperate Housewives gets an African flavour

    Desperate Housewives gets an African flavour

    CANNES: Looks like Disney Media Network is on a roll with its president global distribution Ben Pyne, making a slew of announcements on day two of Mipcom.

    First up, a local production of Disney’s iconic series Desperate Housewives is on the cards. Christened Desperate Housewives Africa and filmed in Nigeria, the series, co-produced by EbonyLive TV and Disney Media Distribution EMEA, is slated to hit television screens in the summer of 2014.

    Disney Media Distribution general manager emerging markets Giovanni Mastrangelo said: “Co-producing the series with EbonyLife TV offers an opportunity to engage African audiences through locally relevant and entertaining storytelling. The local version of the series, starring pan-African cast, will bring to life the universal stories and characters created by ABC Studios.”

    Said an excited EbonyLife TV CEO and executive chairman Mo Abudu: “In Desparate Housewives, we find one of the most amazing formats for TV and are extremely excited to be co-producing it with Disney. On our part, and in line with our mission which is to bring original, home-grown and premium content with an African soul, we will work to ensure parity with the original storyline and production values that have characterised the global series, without compromising on the African essence.”

    The series will feature established and emerging African talents and is being shot 
    in Lagos, Nigeria, where a local ‘Wisteria Lane’ too has been found.

    Secondly, Pyne announced the launch of Disney Movies on Demand, a Disney-branded subscription-based video-on-demand service in Hungary.

    Scheduled to air on FUSO on 25 October, Disney Movies on Demand includes classic and live action titles such as Cars, Toy Story, Wall-E, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mary Poppins and Aladdin among others. The FUSO platform is available on Sony LG, Samsung and select Android tablets and iOS devices and will soon be made available on Xbox One and Sony PS4 as well. 

     
    Speaking of its very first branded subscription-based SVOD service for Disney in Hungary and Eastern Europe, Fuso Ecosystem president Csaba Lazar said: “Fuso’s subscribers will be delighted about the content, which will be available on Fuso premium service. We are excited to be the first eastern-European country to launch such a SVOD service.” Pyne informed that the deal was mediated and negotiated by Eastwest Entertainment, the Australian movie and television distribution company and Profour Film.

    The third and last announcement was about Disney Media Distribution licensing ABC Studios and Marvel Television’s new series Marvel’s Agents if S.H.I.E.L.D to broadcasters across the globe in 155 territories including Channel 4 in the UK, Kanal 5 in Sweden, Viasat 4 in Norway, Digiturk in Turkey, OSN in the Middle East and North Africa and Star World Premiere HD in India, among others.

    Which means episodes of the series will be available to distributors who show English language programming within 24 hours of its US debut on ABC, as well as in the dubbed in local language form 14 days after the airing. Pyne informed that a number of agreements with new media platforms have been concluded to complement the show’s linear transmission. As part of this, even viewers in China can access the series 24 hours post the US transmission on Sohu LeTV, iQiyi, Tencent and Tudou.