During the next fall-winter TV season the Americans will watch the first season of “Chase”, the story of a marshall from Texas, specialized in chasing fugitives escaped from prison. Besides the plot (which seems to be interesting), there are other elements that make us understand the quality of the project. For example the producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, the man who more than others has realised one success after the other, such as the “CSI” (Las Vegas, New York, Miami), “Cold Case”, “without any trace” and many others. Another aspect is the distribution. For the first time with this project, Bruckheimer has been able to sell his product to NBC. A logical choice after so many successful serials for just one channel as CBS (“Dark Blue” and “The Whole Truth” for example). Meaningful for the Americans is even the title of the serial: Richard Chase infact was known as “the vampire from Sacramento”, a horrible serial killer that in few months killed 6 persons, drinking their blood and eating their bodies. Thankfully now there will be Jesse Metcalf, the main character, to free us from such concerns.

Do you know that feeling to run away, to go and run somewhere ? Well, the German people have a particular word to express this feeling: “wanderlust”. The Americans, like us, on the contrary have no word like this. But while we have to make quite a panegiric to convey this feeling they have adopted this word… without any effort to invent a new one. Now in Hollywood it has become a comedy about a couple who tries to run away from modern life after their dreams and economic finances have fallen through. Their choice will be quite strange as they will try to enter a hippy community. The main actors are Jennifer Aniston (a sort of icon of brilliant comedies) and Paul Rudd that in 2011 will be out with another comedy (“My Idiot Brother” of which we will talk about in another post). David Wain is the director as well as the playwriter, while the distribution is assigned to the Major Universal Pictures. The shootings will begin in September, probably in Atlanta,Georgia, Mr Coca Cola’s house.

Let’s talk again about next TV season in the States to see what’s news. Let’s start from the first season of Mr Sunshine, with the coming back of Matthew Perry. Even if he has worked a lot after “Friends” (even as producer and playwright), it is quite sure that the sit-com genre is more suitable to the unforgettable Chandler. In the new project, produced by the trustful Greenlighted, he is quite a normal 40-years businessman at the San Diego Stadium that begins to think about his life. At his side the nice and beautiful Andrea Anders (Better of Ted, The Class, Joey…), the quite famous Allison Janney (154 episodes in The West Wing) and Nate Torrence (a young character actor). As other new serials, the mood of this production is light but no trivial, as it proposes a sort of revisitation os some life values, with nice and light spots. The set is New York and the shooting will begin in 3 weeks. You have really a few time.

The great outing of Sex and the City girls is the right occasion to talk about Celebrity Seeding. Let’s explain it’s something between PR ad product placement, with the aim to give the products freely to the Stars of the Show Biz and more in general to the V.I.P. (normally fashion clothes and accessories, but even design products, technological gadgets, furniture, etc.), with the hope they can use them, taken pictures of, noted on the press and obtain visibility. The good sense would like each garment and object to be selected by these people with great attention. Such a category has so much money and such acquaintances to obtain the best of the best. And it’s exactly this logical supposition that is at the base of the efficacy of the Celebrity Seedings. But the truth is different: all the people I know accept with pleasure to have and use different kinds of products free. It will be not very nice to reveal the names but I have personally see people predate some departments stores. Not to talk about those who ask their agent to call the producer or some common friends to obtail products free. In a few cases the free supply is sufficient to obtain the Seedings. In other cases it is asked even a good mediatic proposal. The most frequent example is about the design objects or white goods that become the main characters within a photo session distributed to the most important furniture reviews, very happy to publish articles about famous people and their houses. And at that point the circle gets close with the perfect logic of the win-win. The Star gets the products free, the Producing House obtains good references and visibility on important newspapers with no costs and the review gets a free interesting article. But can it be possible that the Hollywood millionaires can loose their time trying to get free the clothes and accessories even from “Sex and the City II”, as the four main characters of the movie itself are revealing just these days on channel E!. The answer to such a question is unknown, even for a rational person like me, but as it works, and works well… it doesn’t matter.

The product placement as artistic or technical choice is for sure the best, being more credible, effective and often quite unexpensive. The World Cup players in South Africa for example are good testimonials for clothing and sports accessories. Sometimes they have got an agreement and are well paid, sometimes no. Not all the players get money for wearing shoes, legwarmers, gloves, hats, etc. The Companies interested by such an important event have been preparing for long time. Lots of new models have been presented on the market just at the beginning of the World Cup, and they are so visible and evident thanks to strong colors and special shapes, such as orange and gold, even for the soles and the studs, or brilliant yellow with huge brands on it. More or less the same happens with the T-shirts, where the “three stripes” of a famous German brand are present on the shoulders of almost half of the teams present. The lesson we can read is easy. To exploit such a visible and important event, it is necessary to plan in advance the placement, with well-known products, with great esthetical and/or technical content, so to make them essential for the players. Among the players who would not get the last technological shoes, or among the music stars the new guitar with vocal control pick up for his/her performance at the MTV Music Awards?

Just two months to the shooting of “This Means War”, a movie quite unconventional. It is a sort of pink comedy about two great friends who get in love with the same woman…and until here is fine. But the duel between them will become so huge to completely destroy the whole New York City. Interesting the actors, the wonderful Reese Witherspoon and the young but well-appreciated Chris Pine. Be careful that the same director, Mc.G, will create incredible situations. He is already famous for “Charlie’s Angels” the movie, the soundtrack of “The Coyote Ugly Girls”, producer of “The O.C.” and lots of nice videoclips, documentaries and commercials (Coca Cola and GAO for ex.) The production is signed by Will Smith and James Lassiter. The products fit for the product placement or brand integration are those about a comedy, clothing and accessories, cars and motorcycles, furniture, design, technology. This is one of the most interesting chance of the next season for what concerns brilliant comedies.

At last I have got the screenplay of “Horrible Bosses” by Michael Markowitz and the adaptation of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. A movie where very good actors will perform such as Jason Bateman, Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Charlie Day and Jennifer Aniston. However it is not the plot, the director or the actors that get the interest of the public; the question is which is the end of the story ?.The plot infact is about three friends who try to kill their bosses being horrible people. Now taking in mind that the same production studio (New Line Cinema) considers this movie as a comedy, the end should be at least predictable. Someone thinks it is not and I cannot tell anything more. For sure this movie has very little of a comedy. I am quite certain that the plot will not change, in Italy it will be for over-14-year-olds only or probably for over 18-year-olds. The very outspoken dialogues will give problems to censureship. But a movie with such a strange though interesting formula is really enriched by such black, red and other colored shades. This movie, already in shooting in Los Angeles since June the 6^th , will provoke lots of rumours. And at this point the end is no more so important as it will be the first of a new kind of movie. And those who want a comedy, a comedy will watch.

When a few months ago, with great surprise, Oprah announced the end of her famous programme, lots of people din’t think she could retire. Her programme infact has become one of the longest in the story of the American TV and it would have been absolutely no logical to stop such a successful format and all that got around her. A few time later the announcement of her new project arrived: Oprah Winfrey Network, an entire TV channel dedicated to her and like her. Even if it was not so clear how it would have been and what kind of programming it would have had, the press office of Oprah Winfrey network began to make note press releases of brand integration with the “big spenders” of the market. After Procter&Gamble, it’s the turn of Kohl’s, a sort of general store with more than 1.000 shops in the U.S.A., to which an entire programme will be dedicated with the title of “Your OWN Show”. It would be probably the first important entertainment TV channel on the base of product placement, brand integration, contingency placement, verbal mention and more. The branches interested are so many that it would be easier to underline those unsuitable. The “made in Italy” products are for sure interesting for this project. The strenght of Oprah, her far-sightedness and her incredible capability for business have converted her in a sort of King Mida of the last 20 years. And now for lots of brands which want to emerge and consolidate their image on the American market this is really a great chance.

Lots of stories go around in the web about Alec Brownstein and many are untrue. But he is real. He has an interesting web site and his ideas, books and movies are really new. One of the best story about such a 30-year-old American copywriter relates about the way he obtained his first job in a big ads Company. With few money he bought a little space on google, pointing his messages on the first five most importat American creatives. Any time one of these wanted to know how it went his web site or if there was something new about him, at once a pop up with this writing appeared:

“Hi,.. (name and surname of the creative) questions google about oneself is really funny, isn’t it ? Well to employ me will be even much better”. With such a genial trick Alec obtained four interviews on five. From them two final job proposals. At last he was employed by the famous Young & Rubicam. It doesn’t matter if this story is true or not… for sure both the marketing and placement borders have lots to learn from such genial heads like Alec Browstein.

On June the 27^th in Las Vegas it will be the “Daytime Emmy Award”, that will give a prize to the best main characters of the daily TV (that is morning and afternoon programs), different from the “Emmy Award” that give prizes to the best actors and anchormen at prime time. Late in August there will be even the “Late Emmy Award” dedicated to the best characters of the night programs.

All these prizes are always assigned by the “National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences” from New York and Los Angeles.

The night in Las Vegas is a nice and rich kermesse organised with great attention and programmed alldaylong with interviews, backstages, the red carpets and the final ceremony. The event will be broadcasted on the national channel CBS that last year obtained more than 8 millions of viewers with a 11% of share. To such a result it should be added the many web videos, about different millions.

A few days ago the nominees were announced, and here they are. We have had the chance to talk about many of them and with pleasure we are following their success.

 2010 Daytime Emmy Award Nominees

 Outstanding Drama Series
All My Children (ABC)
The Bold and The Beautiful (CBS)
General Hospital (ABC)
The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Outstanding Lead Actor
Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott on The Young and the Restless
Doug Davidson as Paul Williams on The Young and the Restless
Jon Lindstrom as Craig Montgomery on As the World Turns
Michael Park as Jack Snyder on As the World Turns
James Scott as E.J. DiMera on Days of Our Lives

Outstanding Lead Actress
Sarah Brown as Claudia Zacchara on General Hospital
Crystal Chappell as Olivia Spencer on Guiding Light
Bobbie Eakes as Krystal Carey on All My Children
Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Newman on The Young and the Restless
Maura West as Carly Tenney on As the World Turns

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Beth Chamberlin, as Beth Raines Spaulding in Guiding Light
Julie Pinson as Janet Synder in As The World Turns
Carolyn Hennesy as Diane Miller in General Hospital
Arianne Zucker as Nicole Walker in Days Of Our Lives
Bree Williamson, as Jessica Brennan in One Life To Live

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Billy Miller, as Billy Abbott in The Young And The Restless
Bradford Anderson as Damien Spinelli in General Hospital
Jonathan Jackson as Lucky Spencer in General Hospital
Ricky Paull Goldin as Jake Martin in All My Children
Brian Kerwin as Charlie Banks in One Life To Live

Outstanding Younger Actress
Christel Khalil as Lily Winters in The Young And The Restless
Marnie Schulenburg as Alison Stewart in As The World Turns
Molly Burnett as Melanie Layton in Days Of Our Lives
Shelley Hennig as Stephanie Johnson in Days Of Our Lives
Julie Berman as Lulu Spencer in General Hospital

Outstanding Younger Actor
Drew Tyler Bell as Thomas Forrester in The Bold And The Beautiful
Drew Garrett as Michael Corinthos, Jr. in General Hospital
Dylan Patton as Will Horton in Days Of Our Lives
Scott Clifton as Schuyler Joplin in One Life To Live
Zack Conroy as James Spaulding in Guiding Light

Outstanding Talk Show: Entertainment
The Ellen Degeneres Show
Rachel Ray
Live with Regis and Kelly

Outstanding Talk Show Host
Bonnie Hunt on The Bonnie Hunt Show
Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa on Live with Regis and Kelly
Rachel Ray on Rachel Ray
Dr. Mehmet Oz on The Dr. Oz Show
Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, and Barbara Walters on The View

Outstanding Children’s Animated Program
Wordgirl (PBS)
The Backyardigans (Nickelodeon)
Curious George (PBS)
Sid The Science Kid (PBS)

Outstanding Children’s Series
Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman (PBS)
Design Squad (PBS)
The Electric Company (PBS)

Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show
Wheel Of Fortune
Jeopardy!
Cash Cab
The Price Is Right
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program
The People’s Court
Judge Judy
Cristina’s Court
Judge Pirro
Caso Cerrado

Outstanding Lifestyle Program
This Old House (PBS)
Clean House (The Style Network)
How Do I Look? (The Style Network)
Make: (PBS)
The Martha Stewart Show (Syndicated)

Outstanding Morning Program

Good Morning America (ABC)
Today Show (NBC)
CNN/American Morning (CNN)

Outstanding Talk Show / Informative
Dr. Phil
The Doctors
The Dr. Oz Show

Outstanding Game Show Host
Pat Sajak, Wheel Of Fortune
Alex Trebek, Jeopardy!
Ben Bailey, Cash Cab
Wayne Brady, Let’s Make A Deal
Carnie Wilson, The Newlywed Game

Outstanding Culinary Program
America’s Test Kitchen (PBS)
Gourmet’s Adventures With Ruth (PBS)
Giada At Home (Food)
Tyler’s Ultimate (Food)

Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host
Bobby Flay, Grill It! With Bobby Flay
Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa: Back To Basics
Paula Deen, Paula’s Best Dishes
Martha Stewart, The Martha Stewart Show
Giada De Laurentiis, Giada at Home

You don’t hear talking about “iCarly” very often among marketing managers. On the contrary teen-agers do. A video, among the many present on youtube, has got more than 13 millions of visits, but it isn’t so difficult to find others with such numbers. In Italy it is on Nickelodeon and gets lots of fans. Its website works seriously: the blog is very popular, the visitors are many and the sell-out of its soundtrack is optimum. The story is about a young girl from Seattle that becomes a web star thanks to a web-casting. The production is sober but with taste, good dialogues, nice rhythm and nice actors. Nothing new or experimental but it has the advantage to be always updated. The plot, the speeches, the actors’ look and the set have a perfect equilibrium between what there was (and we are fed up) and what will be (not too much in advance). In a few days in the Los Angeles Studios the 4^th season will start to be shot. 26 episodes already on programme are really a lot in comparison to other web serials. Good sign of a consolidated success on one side and of a good economic rendering for the production on the other. For placement activity it is important to go on now. The products interested are those connected to teen-agers between 12 and 17 years old.

From August the 6^th to August the 8^th it will be great fun at the Grant Park of Chicago. It’s the turn of Lollapalooza !!! The most beautiful, different and intelligent rock Festival… Beautiful as it is organised at the Grant Park … adn Chicago is really fond of its parks!! Beautiful even for its “line-up”: Green Day, Soundgarden, Lady Gaga, The Strokes, Phoenix, Jimmy Cliff and one hundred more of singers famous and not.

Beautiful as it is a festival full of young people but even, during the day, of families, friends who make barbecues, old 50s and 60s rockers and never a problem in all these years.

Different as it’s normal that after a famous band it’s the turn of a geek trio arrived with the parents… and it’s normal that at the end the two groups play together. Different as it is a festival organised with the aim to finance the maintenance of the town parks. Usually, the great and important festivals are a business, or sometimes a help for any human emergency. But since the beginning this festival has always appealed the most famous, innovative, shocking and well-known singers and all agree with pleasure to play for the town parks….. Isn’t it fantastic? Lollapalloza is even intelligent as it exploits the cause of the parks to talk about something else: for ex. the environment education, art contests, children entertainements..

Then the business that is however inteligent; Honda for example gives as gift for the winner of the “Rock & Recycled” competition, an Insight, an hybrid model.

This fomula works so well that Toyota has decided to become main sponsor. And many other brands such as Adidas, Sony, Budweiser etc. The same could be done by Italian brands interested in proposing themselves and become part of product placement projects connected with music, young people and the environment.

Very soon you will pay to shoot in New York a movie, a serial, a show or just a spot. The major Blooberg told this officially sometime ago during a meeting with The Hollywood Studios, the ads Agencies and the Show Workmen Union. For the Big Apple and the United States it is an important turning point from a normative as well economic point of view. The amount is quite a symbol, 300 dollars una tantum that the productions of serials and movies should pay at the beginning of the season and before the setting of the location, regardless of the hours and the days to spend in New York.

Obviously the “once-fee movie” will be required just in case of public occupation of the ground, that this year will regard about 3000 productions. To manage the operations will be the “Film Office”, born in 1966 to promote the city, became the city-placement case of the world movie story (maybe together with Bombay).

Different and more articolated is the case of the Movie Commission in Italy and Europe, an instrument of management, promotion and incoming, run with no coordination at all. On the other side of the Ocean, the Show Businessmen bet that just Los Angeles and Las Vegas will survive. The economies of the two cities are so independent from the Show world to make fun with the producers humor that would find much more convenient to move the productions and the investments in other districts, such as Vancouver, quite often employed, or Bollywood, where Spielberg has bee working for a year.

The web serials are ready for a high jump. The producers (the real ones) and lots of actors (the true ones) are working upon even if without any great results. A few projects with a good concept and worthy cast have started though ending quite soon. Like “Gotham” that relates the story of “those with a second chance” with primary actors such as Martha Byrne, winner of an Emmy and Michael Park, that got a nomination at the Emmys too.

Well, for the first episode with 22.000 visitors, for the second 13.000 and now at the 13^th episode there are just 200 visitors. This serial has been visited in total from just 74.000 subscribers.

A little better for Streamboat , a mocking version of the show world with good actors as Michael O’ Leary and Beth Chamberin (both seen in the soap “Sentieri”). The first episode got 15.000 visitors and now is between 2.000 – 3.000 visits. Very few to interest the placement market. Different the case of the wonderful “Imaginary Bitches” (nominated for an Emmy in 2009) with 400.000 and 600.000 visits each episode and a total of about 7 millions. The story is a mix of funny and charming, something between “Friends” and “Sex and the City” with a cast of young, nice and really inspired actors. This project is connecting the independent, almost experimental and with low budgets productions with the serious Show Biz. The first project of those who really know how to produce a serial is a remake of Dynasty. Among the cast: Lilly Melgar (General Hospital), Tristan Rogers (General Hospital, Love Boat), Sandra Ferguson – Robinson (Anotherl World, Baywatch, General Hospital), John Callahan (Desperate Housewife, General Hospital, Falcon Crest, Santa Barbara), Taylor Stanley (Another World, Spin City), Derrel Witt (The Indruders) and lots more. The producers told me they are having lots of fun and have been able to create a wonderful mood. This serial is really good for luxury products (jewels, clothes and accessories), for the house (design and furniture) and the free time (auto, motorcycle, sport, gardening, etc.). To underline that Dynasty is the only serial by Aaron Spelling that has not got any remaking until now. Thanks to the peculiarity of the web, the news and the improvements of this project will be worldwide and point of reference for all that follows.