Friday, December 07, 2007 By Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The direct-to-DVD release of "R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It" was designed to be the first in a series of "Haunting Hour" videos filmed here. Pittsburgh-based Steeltown Entertainment Project is hoping two more movies in the series will film here.
Today let's catch up with some local and national TV shows we've covered before, programs that may or may not ever see the light of day.
New FCI series
Last December we reported that Family Communications Inc., the company founded by the late Fred Rogers, was developing a new TV series for airing on PBS, longtime home to "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
"We still are on track to develop a new program," FCI chief operating officer Kevin Morrison said this week. "We have three different development deals signed with producers of children's programming, all of whom have a distinguished track record in the field."
Morrison declined to name the producers, but said the plan is to take three proposals to PBS in the spring.
"At that time, PBS will give us their opinion on what ideas they like and don't like," he said. "If we're lucky, they will tell us they'd like to continue developing one or the others."
The preschool programs in development are not designed to replace the "Neighborhood" but will "address the same social, emotional issues Fred specialized in," Morrison said. Some elements of the "Neighborhood" may carry over.
"We're aware that we have characters in Fred's world who have become enduring favorites for several generations now. Taking those characters and developing them is another possible idea, but it isn't the only one," Morrison said. "We're doing a lot of different things."
Drake Bell series
A year ago, local PEI Production Group staged a press conference at the Pittsburgh Film Office headquarters to announce a deal with Hudson Canyon Entertainment Group of Los Angeles to produce and film in Pittsburgh a pilot and 13-week television series starring Drake Bell.
I never quite believed it would come to pass. No network was attached to the series and executives at the most obvious network for a new Bell show, Nickelodeon (home to Bell's "Drake & Josh"), said they'd never heard of it. Also, I'd never heard of Hudson Canyon or its president and couldn't find a Web site for the company or references to the company in the online archive of Hollywood trade paper Daily Variety.
In July, actor Jerry Trainor, who was tapped to play Bell's manager in the pilot, said he hadn't heard anything more about the program since filming scenes in Pittsburgh last year.
In September, PEI filed a civil lawsuit in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court against Hudson Canyon and its principals, including Hudson Canyon President Thomas E. van Dell, Bell's manager who came to Pittsburgh to announce the program last year. The suit alleges that PEI gave Hudson Canyon $25,000 for an ownership interest in the show and that the company has not done its part, failing to complete the pilot.
Van Dell did not return a call seeking comment on the lawsuit.
PEI attorney Rich O'Halloran, of the Philadelphia office of Downtown law firm Burns, White and Hickton, said Hudson Canyon has not filed a written response but there is an ongoing dialogue with the company's attorneys.
PEI President Phil Isaly said he wants Hudson Canyon to complete the project or return PEI's money.
'Haunting' sequels
Filmed around Western Pennsylvania last fall, the direct-to-DVD release "R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It," was designed to be the first in a series of "Haunting Hour" videos potentially filmed here. The movie also aired on Cartoon Network in September.
Pittsburgh-based Steeltown Entertainment Project, which will ultimately invest more than $900,000 in the first film's more than $3 million budget, is hoping two more movies in the series will film here. The films are produced by independent production company The Hatchery and distributed by Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
"The last I heard from [Hatchery partner] Dan Angel, the selection [for locations] was between Vancouver and Pittsburgh," said Jodi Klebick, Steeltown managing director. "He was really pushing for Pittsburgh because of the incentives we have here and the exchange rate in Canada [is no longer as favorable as it had been]. They had a great experience here and he was very positive about doing what he could to bring it to Pittsburgh."
Klebick said the first film shipped between 400,000 and 500,000 copies to stores in September, but until returns come back next year, sales totals won't be available.
Prospects for filming the sequels here might improve once money promised by the state for "Don't Think About It" is finally delivered.
"The state has its steps it has to go through," Klebick said. "We're getting closer to getting the funding released to finalize that part of that project."
Might the slow pace hurt Pittsburgh's chances for the second and third films?
"I'm certain it would be in everybody's best interest if it would have happened quicker," Klebick said. "... With the incentives, the quicker the process, the easier it is to say, 'Pittsburgh is open for business and able to make this happen' to the industry as a whole as it looks for locations for productions."
Missing McIntire?
Former "NightTalk"/93.7 FM radio host John McIntire, currently seen on WQED's "Off Q," is trying to drum up financial support for an online series to stream at WQED.org. He envisions one or two shows a week, each running about 12 to 15 minutes.
"At this point, the concept is wide open," McIntire said. "I'd like to get a correspondent or two. I mentioned it to [former local "Road Rules" star] Susie Meister and Gab Bonesso, my old radio partner. [The Web is] a young person's medium, and since I'm turning 50, I figure there has to be some infusion of youth into this project."
McIntire said WQED will test the waters for funding -- he doesn't know how much is needed, saying, "I hope it's many, many thousands of dollars to prop up my outrageous salary" -- and he will do his part.
"I will also happily stump, I just don't know who to stump," he said. "I know people who know people, I'm just not friends with that many rich people, and the rich people I am friends with are cheap. See? I'm doomed."
In addition to "Off Q," McIntire continues to write a column for City Paper and will be performing stand-up comedy Dec. 12 at The Improv at the Waterfront.
'MI-5' returns
The fifth season of British spy drama "MI-5," which was expected to air on BBC America after A&E squandered the fourth season, will instead first turn up on DVD.
"MI-5: Volume 5" ($79.98, BBC Worldwide) is due in stores on Jan. 8. So what about airing on BBC America? A network representative said the episodes may still air on the channel next year.
'V' reboot
A few years back, NBC toyed with and then abandoned the idea of resurrecting the 1980s sci-fi saga "V," a personal childhood favorite of mine. Those efforts have resulted in a book: "V: The Second Generation," the same title as the proposed miniseries. Published by Tor, the book will be in stores early next year, but the cover art is already on Amazon.com (search for V).
The novel is written by Kenneth Johnson ("Alien Nation"), who created the original 1983 "V" miniseries and developed the reboot for NBC.
Channel surfing
HBO's "The Wire" returns for its final season at 9 p.m. Jan. 6, and three mini-prequels are available at Amazon.com on the Web page selling the show's fourth season. ... Sci Fi Channels terrible "Tin Man" miniseries opened to 6.3 million viewers Sunday, but almost 2 million discerning viewers tuned out and the numbers dropped to 4.4 million on night two and bounced back to 5 million viewers on night three. The dropoff should be cause for concern but Sci Fi is trumpeting it as "the top cable series of 2007," so we're probably going to get more shoddy, poorly written miniseries in the future. ... John Cater, who leaves his post as morning anchor on WPCW and as a reporter for KDKA-TV today, is heading to WSB-TV in Atlanta as "a full-time freelancer," he said. He begins his new job next week. ... FiOS TV has added high-definition video on demand, beginning with 75 titles, a mix of free programs and recent films ($5.99 to rent).
TV editor Rob Owen can be reached at rowen@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1112.
First published on December 7, 2007 at 12:00 am
