On the Lot

Top 7 of '07: Worst Show #2 - On the Lot

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:01:09 GMT

Check out all our lists for BuddyTV's Top 7 of '07 to relive the best and the worst of the year in television.

How did FOX's On the Lot go so horribly wrong? I love the behind-the-scenes struggles inherent in the filmmaking process, and when you throw a bunch of crazy directors into a reality show produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett, you should have television gold. Instead we got this boring, uninspired, seemingly endless reality series that left me longing for the glory days of Project Greenlight.

On the Lot: Season (Series?) in Review

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:34:16 GMT

On the Lot felt like a slam dunk prior to its premiere. The concept (competitive reality show for up and coming filmmakers) was rock solid. The creative team behind the show (Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg, along with Carrie Fischer and Garry Marshall) was more than formidable. When it was announced that FOX was producing On the Lot, who would've bet against the show's success? FOX has proved to be a master of shepherding reality franchises into the troposphere. After weeks of promos on FOX, most of which appeared during American Idol, On the Lot premiered and the let down was almost immediate. FOX, Burnett, and Spielberg had failed miserably in delivering on the promising concept of On the Lot, leaving audiences with a troubled, contrived, and arbitrary reality show.

On the Lot: Finale Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:10:03 GMT

FOX is so damn shameless, it hurts sometimes. Tonight, we got an hour of On the Lot that contained only three seconds of footage that anyone really cares about: who won the whole thing. There were no new films to be screened. So, then, what did FOX fill up the hour with? Montages and recaps. It was reported that Steven Spielberg would be appearing tonight's finale and, while technically true, he didn't make an in-studio appearance as I assumed he would. He merely welcomed the winner to the Dreamworks lot at the end of the episode in a pre-taped bit. Oh, yeah, that's another thing. Tonight's episode wasn't live. First clue: it was dark outside and it's not dark in LA at 5PM. Anyway, here's what went down.

On the Lot: Finale, Live Results

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:56:28 GMT

All right. This is it, everybody. Steven Spielberg will be in the house tonight to preside over the final episode of On the Lot. In fact, there's a better than likely chance that this will be the last On the Lot ever, thanks to disappointing ratings. Nonetheless, it'll be fun to have Spielberg grace us with his presence. He's in the middle of shooting Indiana Jones right now, so it's kind of incredible that he fit this in. Will Bigham, Jason Epperson, and Adam Stein are the last three filmmakers standing and tonight we'll find out who wins the million dollar film deal with Dreamworks. I'll be here throughout the hour giving live updates as the show moves along and eventually announces a winner.

'On The Lot' Finale Part One - The Bottom Three

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:29:57 GMT

The finale for On The Lot begins with the elimination of one contestant, bringing us down to three potential auteurs. The selection is Jason Epperson, Adam Stein, Will Bigham, and Sam Friedlander. Did America make the right choice? Unless that choice was to change the channel to IFC to see real up and coming film makers, the answer is no. Seriously though, Sam makes the walk of shame, waxing about how the experience taught him more about being a director. Funny, I actually feel like I know less about film making since starting to watch this show, its like it is sucking the knowledge from my skull.

On the Lot: Top 6, Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:15:13 GMT

The best film of the night was a 30-second Mountain Dew commercial featuring a killer ferret brandishing a chainsaw. Now, you may think such a statement is a slam against the remaining On the Lot filmmakers. Really, it's not. The Mountain Dew commercial was just spectacular. We're down to six contestants now, and that means that two of the filmmakers from last week had to be eliminated. In another one of the canned segments, Adrianna Costa cleavage-ly arrived in the filmmakers' patio to tell them who America liked least. Mateen Kemet and Kenny Luby were then eliminated.

On The Lot: Top 10, Round 2 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 21:14:15 GMT

Tonight's On the Lot was a bad night for the ladies. As viewers know, two of the five filmmakers who screened their films last week would be sent home, just like two of the five filmmakers who screened their films tonight will be going home next week. Adrianna Costa, in a pre-taped bit from earlier in the week, shows up to give the bad news: Hilary Graham and Shalini Kantayya received the fewest votes from America and have therefore been eliminated. Those were probably the right choices, although I do think Shalini has potential as a filmmaker.

Tonight, the five filmmakers screened action movies. It's not the best genre for a short film, but they hadn't done it yet, so I was on board. Antoine Fuqua (director of The Replacement Killers, Training Day, and Shooter) acted as guest judge tonight and he was relatively insightful. Here's what we saw:

On the Lot: Top 10, Round 1 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:20:31 GMT

“When two worlds collide...”

That is the premise of the five films that were screened on tonight's episode of On the Lot. Before we get to the films, however, Adrianna sends us straight to the taped footage of this week's elimination. Based on last week, I thought Mateen should have been sent home, but America felt differently. Adrianna informs everyone that Shira-Lee Shalit has been eliminated from the competition.

So, this week, five filmmakers (Zach, Hilary, Will, Shalini, and Adam) got the privilege of making their films on the Universal Studios lot. Incredible opportunity. Before the films begin screening, Adrianna gives us one more very important piece of information. Next week, there will be not one, but two filmmakers eliminated from the group of five. And the same goes for the week after that. On to the films!

On the Lot: Top 12, Round 2 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 20:09:43 GMT

Tonight on On the Lot, six filmmakers showed us horror films that they made over the last week. This might sound pretty good in theory, but let's take a moment to think about it for a second. A two-minute horror film? Can that even work? Isn't the horror genre based on audience anticipation? Does two minutes allow the filmmakers enough set-up to make something truly scary? I would venture to guess no, and the filmmakers tonight seem to back me up on this. None of the films were particularly scary and everyone had a difficult time with the genre.

Adrianna Costa walked out on stage without showing any cleavage or any significant amount of leg. That was a disappointment. The guest judge this week was none other than Eli Roth, director of the Hostel films. Like last week, we cut straight to the taped elimination. I thought Hilary Graham should have gone home but, after giving America a confusing and bizarre romantic sex comedy last week, David May was cut from On the Lot. David seemed like a nice enough guy, but he wasn't up to snuff. Goodbye. On to the horror films!

On the Lot: Top 12, Round 1 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:24:09 GMT

That was better. After last week's more or less craptastic batch of films, this week's crop of On the Lot films was significantly improved, although not as much as the judges would like you to believe. There is such a discrepancy between the upper-echelon of talent and the lower on the show that it's unnerving.

How could FOX so blatantly cast people who were going to be in over their heads? Like with singing on American Idol, there are a remarkable amount of talented filmmakers out there begging for their big break, a number of whom undoubtedly tried out for On the Lot. There's no excuse to cast sub-par talent in the top 16, regardless of looks or their personal background.

On the Lot: Top 15, Round 3 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:01:56 GMT

FOX may make popular and successful reality TV series, but maybe it's time for them to re-think their casting strategy. American Idol, for instance, made a number of questionable decisions in concocting their top 24 finalists, seemingly going for looks over any recognizable talent (Antonella Barba, anyone?). For viewers and film lovers alike, On the Lot has been a frustrating beast, a reality show whose potential is enormous but whose execution has left much to be desired. The Mark Burnett casting model (the filling of types/niches) is perfect for a show like Survivor, because that show deals in social interaction and interpersonal relationships. For On the Lot, the films themselves are the stars, or at least they should be. What I'm saying is this: the top 20 filmmakers chosen for On the Lot were certainly not the 20 best filmmakers in the field and it's shown.

Here's what went down on tonight's episode.

On the Lot: Top 15, Round 2 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 23:31:40 GMT

For tonight's episode of On The Lot, host Adrianna Costa dropped some cleavage on us, which is never a bad thing. Continuing on from last week's format, which will hopefully be permanent from here on out, one filmmaker will be going home and we will see five new films. David Frankel, director of The Devil Loves Prada, showed up to act as the guest judge. Before we get to the new films, we get some initial results:

Adam is safe, as he should be. Shalini and Sam are also safe. That leaves Trever and Hillary. They have to wait until the end of the episode to learn their fate. On to the new films.

Fox Announces Tonight's On the Lot Guest Judge

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Director David Frankel, most recently known for his work on the hit film The Devil Wears Prada, has been named the guest judge of tonight’s episode of On the Lot.

Frankel will join the show’s regular judges, actress Carrie Fisher and director Garry Marshall, in evaluating the remaining 15 finalists.

On the Lot: Top 15, Round 1 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:14:20 GMT

On the Lot has returned, and we're down to 15 filmmakers. Tonight, 5 directors will go head to head. At the end of the episode, viewers get to vote, and the one with lowest vote total will go home next week. You have to assume that this will be how it works at least for the next month or so. The show is live, again, and that means we get Adrianna Costa, which is always a good thing.

The judges are Carrie Fisher, Gary Marshall, and joining them tonight is guest Michael Bay, director of Armageddon, The Rock, and the upcoming Transformers. Some people call him the anti-Christ, some people love him, and I'm somewhere in the middle. Every film tonight is 3 minutes or under, and were all made in the span of five days.

Fox to Reduce Airtime for On the Lot

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 06:00:00 GMT

After a string of episodes of On the Lot, which have garnered poor ratings, Fox has decided to address the declining series. But instead of abruptly pulling the plug on the reality program, which premiered on May 22, 2007, Fox has decided to reduce its airtime to one episode per week.

Originally, Fox has intended for On the Lot to broadcast weekly, comprising of a 1-hour episode where movies are screened followed by a half-hour results show the next day, just like American Idol’s format. However, the network has now announced that On the Lot will just air one hour-long weekly episode beginning June 5, Tuesday at 8 pm ET/PT.

On the Lot: Top 18, Live Results

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 29 May 2007 16:54:11 GMT

Tonight we get our first On the Lot live results show of the season. Of the 18 filmmakers, three will be going home tonight. The show is an hour long, and I'll be on hand to give live updates throughout the hour.

The show is starting a few minutes late tonight. Why? Well, it could have something to do with the fact that this is On the Lot's first live show. Perhaps Adrianna is nervous and can't go on. Lord, I hope not. Would it hurt to fire Julie Chen and replace her with Adrianna Costa? Who wouldn't be happy about this?

On the Lot: Top 18 Box Office Performance Show Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 29 May 2007 09:47:20 GMT

FOX likes its reality shows Idol-ized. After last week's On the Lot premiere episodes that saw the directors culled from 50 to 24, viewers expecting more of the same (pre-taped judging, interesting filmmaking tasks, tight editing, etc.) were in for a (possibly) unpleasant surprise. It seems as if FOX pulled the plug on at least two in-the-can episodes and sped directly ahead to the Movie Premieres of the final 18. Yes, 18. Not 24, as On the Lot left off with last week.

Somewhere over the long weekend, FOX decided to skip the part where they cut six filmmakers. No worries. It's not like America enjoys watching behind the scenes, pre-filmed segments. We craze live studio audience action. We need to vote. Right?

The Summer of Mark Burnett: On the Lot, Pirate Master, and some 5th Graders

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 18 May 2007 16:20:32 GMT

In anticipation of the Mark Burnett/Steven Spielberg reality show On The Lot, it might be a good time to take a look at the stranglehold that Burnett has on reality television. The perception, in some circles, is that Burnett star has been fading with some of his recent television series waning in popularity. Clearly, this has been the case for a couple of his productions. This week, NBC did not announce any future plans with The Apprentice. The Donald's show may return to the air at some point, but ratings have been dwindling for some time. Burnett's Rock Star: Supernova was more or less a failure in the ratings. Not an epic flop by any means, but it still wasn't what CBS wanted it to be.

On the Lot: Top 50 Finalists Revealed

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 14 May 2007 09:16:49 GMT

On the Lot, the new reality show from Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg, is set to premiere on May 22. The first two episodes will be of the audition rounds, and from there the field will be pared to fifty and, soon after, down again to 18 finalists, where the real fun will begin. Those final 18 head to “Hollywood Boot Camp”, a stage featuring various challenges, all presided over by the distinguished panel of judges, consisting of Carrie Fischer (“Princess Leia” and noted Hollywood script doctor), Brett Ratner (director of the “Rush Hour” films), and Jon Avnet (“Risky Business”).

FOX has released the top 50 semi-finalists for On the Lot and, if you want to know those filmmakers identities, here is the list of names, including age and profession:

Breaking News - Stephen Spielberg and Mark Burnett's 'On The Lot' Press Conference

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 11 May 2007 10:49:49 GMT

Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg are about to make one aspiring film maker’s dream come true with the innovative reality series “On the Lot”, which is set to debut Tuesday, May 22nd at 9:00pm ET on Fox. 12,000 potential contestants submitted audition reels for a chance to compete, and fifty semi-finalists were chosen to kick things off. In the end, one filmmaker will walk away with a feature film contract. Series Creator Mark Burnett and judge Carrie Fisher held a conference this morning to discuss the show, here are some of the high points of what the two had to say about this amazing experiment.

FOX Announces Judges for On the Lot

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 04 May 2007 11:30:46 GMT

The Fox Network’s latest reality series, On The Lot, has given out the names of the four judges who will be involved in selecting the finalists for the show. On the Lot is the first collaborative effort between producer Mark Burnett and award-winning director Steven Spielberg. The show will premiere in two parts, both highlighting the audition process of the 50 semifinalists, whose personal submissions stood out among the 12,000 videos that were sent in for the show. The first part will be shown on May 22nd, while the second part will air on May 24th.

On the Lot

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:17:26 GMT

On the Lot is a reality show created by Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg. The program showcases undiscovered filmmakers who combat each other for a chance to win a million dollar DreamWorks studio developmental deal.