In article
<26d7c8f3-7d53-48f3-a083-fec5e5961453@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
Taylor <jaketoranzoszymanski@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Nov 15, 2:27 am, David <dimla...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > from variety
> >
> > TLC to revamp 'Spaces'
> > 'Trading' gets its own makeover
> > By JOSEF ADALIAN
> >
> > TLC is giving "Trading Spaces" an extreme makeover -- bringing back
> > former host Paige Davis and enlisting the brains behind "Hell's
> > Kitchen" to revive a show that was once a ratings powerhouse on cable.
> >
> > A. Smith & Co. has replaced current "Trading" production ****ngle
> > Banyan Prods. as producers of the home redecorating format, which TLC
> > plans to relaunch as early as January. Move, along with TLC's recent
> > purchase of the Miss America franchise, is part of a major overhaul of
> > the net being planned by new prexy-G.M. Angela Shapiro-Mathes.
> >
> > Davis left the show two years ago. Her departure -- along with a glut
> > of copycat cable makeover shows -- led to declining ratings for
> > "Spaces," which at its zenith was the No. 1 cable show on Saturday
> > nights. One episode even drew 9 million viewers, outdrawing the major
> > broadcast nets.
> >
> > Shapiro-Mathes said reviving "Spaces" has been a priority since she
> > started at the net earlier this year.
> >
> > "When you say TLC to anybody, 'Trading Spaces' is still the show most
> > people connect with (the network), because it was so huge," she said.
> >
> > Exec compared TLC's handling of the franchise to ABC's decision to
> > maximize exposure for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" when that
> > quizzer was red-hot. Cabler tried a variety of brand extensions for
> > "Spaces" and aired it frequently -- just as rival nets sent in the
> > clones.
> >
> > "It was no longer unique, it didn't have a clean format and it didn't
> > have a host that said 'Trading Spaces' to the audience,"
> > Shapiro-Mathes said.
> >
> > Shapiro-Mathes said her new senior VP of programming, Brant Pinvidic,
> > suggested going after Davis, a move that led to bringing in A. Smith &
> > Co. -- and parting ways with Banyan.
> >
> > "They did an incredible job keeping the show on the air for so long,"
> > she said, adding that TLC is working with Banyan on other projects.
> >
> > As for A. Smith & Co., Shapiro-Mathes said the ****ngle has "the
> > sensibility and the experience" to put a new spin on "Spaces."
> >
> > Skein will maintain much of its original format. Two teams will still
> > perform makeovers on the other's rooms, with a budget of $1,000.
> >
> > "The big difference will be in the casting," exec producer Arthur
> > Smith said. "People want to be more vested in the people they're
> > seeing. The couples may not be next-door neighbors all the time."
> >
> > Indeed, Smith -- who will exec produce with Kent Weed and Frank Sinton
> > -- said the show might now focus on a divorced couple or dueling
> > mothers-in-law.
> >
> > "You might have a little more conflict and drama than you had before,"
> > Weed said.
> >
> > That doesn't mean Davis will start calling people donkeys or cursing
> > them out, a la "Hell's Kitchen" chef Gordon Ramsay.
> >
> > "We want to protect the things that made the show popular in the first
> > place," Smith said. "It'll still be heartwarming."
> >
> > In addition to Davis, a number of designers are returning to the
> > skein, including Doug Wilson, Laurie Hickson-Smith, Frank Bielec and
> > Hildi Santo-Thomas.
> >
> > "This feels like a great big reunion," Davis said.
> >
> > After leaving "Spaces," Davis inked a development deal with King World
> > Television (now CBS Paramount) and returned to her theater roots,
> > starring in "Chicago" and "Sweet Charity."
> >
> > Davis is repped by UTA; A.Smith & Co. by WMA.
>
> ZOMG, I'd have a *real* axe to grind w/ Discovery Communications/
> Banyan Productions. They'd have to pay me a PRETTY penny to come back.
> Then again, *both* parties have been floundering since their abrupt
> departure. ;-)
>
> God, T.S. is like the 'ER' of unscripted home decorating! Will
> ANYTHING kill it???!!!
And we need a dunk tank for Hildy, to determine once and for all if
she's a witch.
--
Jitterbug phone works! (Third time's a charm!)
Except the first bill is $100 high. Heavy sigh.
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