The handiwork of Emmy winning producer Mark Burnett is apparent across today’s television landscape. From The Apprentice to Survivor, he’s got reality on lockdown.
I grabbed a moment with Mark while on the set of his latest hit Starmaker, during which he discussed his formula for creating incredible drama, shared why fellow Executive Producer Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is the ideal “Star Maker”, and reacted to being dubbed the “Godfather of Reality TV”!
As P. Diddy continues his search for the next great recording artist on MTV’s Starmaker, he enlists the skills of American Idol alum Kimberly Caldwell to host the program and music manager Johnny Wright (Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, etc.) to mentor the contestants.
Here, Kimberly discusses the kind of talent that Starmaker seeks to nourish, and Johnny insists that the show isn’t a karaoke competition – sounds familiar, eh?
The gorgeous lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls Nicole Scherzinger has been on tour with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, recorded with P. Diddy, and topped the charts several times with her bandmates, but she still felt pressured to be cautious during her stint as a guest judge on the talent competition P. Diddy’s Starmaker.
In our chat she gives the scoop on her decision to nurture the Starmaker contestants, and we share a laugh about her attempt to “sound serious” while critiquing them!
Props to MTV.com for featuring this segment on their site!
I’ve witnessed Laurie Ann Gibson’s hard-hitting choreography on Making the Band, So You Think You Can Dance, multiple music videos (including Lady Gaga’s “LoveGame”), and most recently P. Diddy’s Starmaker.
But to hear her sing, I had to dig through a few YouTube clips to discover her very own solo music video! Given her surprised reaction to my mentioning of the clip, I don’t think Laurie Ann was expecting me to ask her about it – hehe – but with graciousness and good humor, the humble pro explained why she treats the Starmaker contestants so kindly and dropped some exclusive info about her music ambitions.
Say what you will about the mogul/actor/rapper’s swagger, but I continue to be inspired by the diversity of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs‘ hustle.
So, when he deemed himself the “Black Sinatra” in an interview that I did with him last year (for Fox Reality Channel), I dug the ambition that sparked that bold proclamation. At that time, he was so passionate about his own acting and producing work that he ended the segment by imploring viewers, “Applaud me ladies and gentlemen!”
Since that interview, Diddy has remained a pop culture magnate by venturing into film, television, and the web, but his credibility as a label exec was challenged when one of the most visible acts on his Bad Boy Records’ roster, Danity Kane, dissolved.
Que’s gotten a lot of screen time on this season’s Making the Band, but not all of it has been flattering.
And while the arguments seem to intensify with each episode, we know a fact that the season must have a somewhat happy ending – since the new Day 26 album is already slated to be released on April 14. Which means they can’t split, right?
So for now, I’m listing 5 significant quotes (from last night’s episode) by the members of Day 26 that reveal how each individual probably feels about this pivotal season thus far:
Que: “I feel…They’re trying to find a reason to make me look like a bad guy. So that makes me mad.”
Will: “Que ain’t Que dog. So that’s why I forgive him. … He’s not even a human being to me. He’s like an alien.”
Brian: “Should everybody suffer for one person’s choice or their decision?”
Robert: “We ain’t *bleep-bleep* Danity Kane!”
Mike: “I just got a compliment from last night, ‘I appreciate y’all so much for being positive young black men.’ I just said, ‘Wait ’til this season come on.’”
At this defining time, which band members do you think have the right attitude?
In Part 1 of my 2 part chat with Making the Band’s Donnie Klang, Donnie gave his assessment on why his first album stalled on the charts, and he discussed how he’s currently taking his career into his own hands.
Part 2, however, finds Donnie explaining the frustration that he felt during last season’s finale and why he felt the need to distance himself from the mention of his relationship with former Danity Kane member Aubrey O’Day. All of this is good stuff to warm us up for this week’s premiere – I’m thinking that Donnie may really get his chance to shine this time around!
