Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, producers of CHICAGO, HAIRSPRAY movie musicals, set for new singing reality show

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 1:35pm

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963130.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

CBS continues to pump up its alternative development, greenlighting a music-themed project from the producers of "Hairspray" and "Queer Eye" as well as an improv gameshow toplined by "Late Late Show" host Craig Ferguson.
Eye also has recruited Drew Carey to host its Michael Davies-produced quizzer "Power of 10."

Developments are part of an ambitious slate of reality and gameshow projects being shepherded by reality guru Ghen Maynard.

Industry insiders said that between CBS and CW (whose development he also oversees), Maynard has nearly two dozen projects in the works.

Musical project is tentatively dubbed "Life as a Song" and is being produced by "Queer Eye's" David Metzler and David Collins and Storyline's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron via their respective Scout and Storyline banners.

"Life" will give people who have major announcements to make or questions to ask the opportunity to do so via an elaborate song and dance number. It's based on the tuner tradition of characters breaking into song when emotions become too strong for words.

Each half-hour seg will chronicle the backstory behind the person doing the singing, as well as show that person learning how to sing and dance.

Scout's Metzler and Collins came up with the idea for "Life" and then recruited Zadan and Meron because of their decades of experience with musical productions.

Zadan and Meron in turn enlisted help from past collaborators, including "Footloose" writer Dean Pitchford. Scout has brought on Evan Weinstein to serve as co-exec producer.

"Life" reps the first foray into unscripted TV for Zadan and Meron, whose credits range from "Chicago" to "Cinderella." Duo has wrapped production on ABC's 2008 pic "Raisin in the Sun" and are finishing up the feature version of "Hairspray," which opens July 20.

The Scout/Storyline collaboration is one of a slew of music-themed projects in the works at the nets.

Eye has been developing a take on "Name That Tune" as well as a version of the Dutch format "The Singing Office." The status of those projects is unclear.

Fox and NBC also are working on tuner-type pilots (see story, page 7).

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 4/19/07 at 1:41am

Love this idea. I don't know if the general public will go for it though.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 4/19/07 at 2:23am

okay, that just sounds awesome. Maybe in time people won't be able to say how unrealistic musicales are, since people don't break out into song-and-dance routines in "every day life."

All right wishful thinking on my part, but I would totally watch.