Reality Shows Pay With Resuscitated Careers By Andrew Gumbel
За Йозеф Хол любимата звезда е Елвис Пресли “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” – хитова програма, която обаче не успява да допринесе много за славата на участниците в нея. Телевизионният агент, цитиран по-горе, твърди, че ще прекара няколко часа в срещи, на които ще се опита да определи какви са кариерните цели на своите клиенти и тогава ще реши към кои риалити програми да ги насочи. Неговите най-силни моменти са били тогава, когато е успявал да възкреси кариерата /без да назовава конкретни имена/ на няколко бивши знаменитости. „Определени шоу програми няма как да навредят на репутацията на звездите”, твърди телевизионер. „Денсинг старс” е такова шоу, „Стажантът” също. Разбира се, всеки сам определя как ще се държи пред публиката и дали ще успее да развие собствената си звездна марка. Няма съмнение, че участието в онези шоу програми, които залагат на интелекта, може да извърши чудеса, особено ако знаменитостите са готови да разкрият характерни моменти от своя личен и професионален живот пред широката публика. „Във времето, когато професионалните възможности за дадена звезда започват да намаляват, се оказва ,че най-добрият шанс е тя да се възползва от телевизионните шоу и риалити програми”, твърдят запознати.
Not so long ago, reality TV was the last place any self-respecting celebrity would wish to end up. Now, though, the famous -- and almost-famous -- are lining round the block to get on the most popular shows, like “Dancing With the Stars” or “Celebrity Apprentice.” And it isn’t for the money. Stars on a multi-character scripted drama can make upwards of $50,000 an episode – sometimes way upward. On reality shows, celebrities get what is referred to as Most Favored Nation status -- which means nobody gets more than anybody else. The celebs on “Dancing With the Stars,” for example, get $200,000 for the entire season, whether they’re booted or not, a bonus of $100,00 if they’re number one, a smaller bonus if they’re number two, an even smaller bonus if they’re number 3, a top TV agent told The Wrap. Of course, every reality show is different. A celebrity with a show built around his or her life is likely to get producer credit and maybe something on the back end. Participants on an existing show generally get a flat fee without residuals. “Between scripted shows and reality shows,” said a leading TV agent, “in the success scenario there’s just no comparison -- and that’s the way it should be. On scripted shows, they have to have talent.” But, in Hollywood, there’s always more than money. Especially former celebrities are sniffing out any opportunity to put themselves on the map -- or sell themselves in a different guise to a whole new generation of fans. Lauren Conrad has gone from nobody to television
mega-celebrity by committing her young adult life to video on the MTV series “Laguna Beach” and its follow-up “The Hills.” No longer simply an aspiring fashion designer, she has launched her own clothing line on the back of her cable network visibility. Her fellow cast members Heidi Montag, Audrina Patridge and Whitney Port have similarly diversified into music, film acting, fashion design, earning themselves millions of dollars in the process. Jerry Springer used “Dancing With the Stars” to help him escape the pigeonhole of his notorious daytime circus and turned it into a hosting slot on “America’s Got Talent.” It also put him in a position to be fielding, for the first time in his career, movie offers. “There’s more of it out there,” said one television agent who has set up reality shows for his clients. “With more out there come more opportunities for people who wouldn’t otherwise have had an in on television. Now they are given their shot, their 15 minutes. And some people are parlaying those 15 minutes into 30 minutes or hours or full careers.” Though, for some, like Gary Busey, the options for reinvention seem limited to a stint on “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” -- a hit show that is unlikely to do very much for its participants other than reinforce stereotypical views. The television agent said he will spend several hours in development meetings trying to identify career goals and branding options for his clients before coming up with a reality show pitch. His greatest successes have come when he has been able to resuscitate a career -- he did not want to name names, but he has done so several times by now. “Some shows have been proven to be safe and have developed reputations as career rejuvenators,” a television insider said. “’Dancing With the Stars’ is a show people can do. ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ is safe to do. Of course, it’s up to you to conduct yourself in a way consistent with your celebrity brand.” Indeed, there’s no question a cleverly crafted reality show stint can do wonders -- especially if the celeb is willing to open up the idiosyncracies of his or her personal or professional lives to public scrutiny. “At a time when the business is contracting and opportunities for a lot of celebrities are disappearing,” the insider said, “there is greater pressure to take advantage of those kinds of shows.” 63