Shaun Kenney | Politics and Religion in Virginia's Public Square


Saturday, February 21, 2004 Finally, a Reality TV Show I Can Watch! NBC is going to air a show where boxing contenders go at it for a yet-to-be determined crown. The organizers? Mark Burnett of Survivor fame, Dreamworks co-founder Jeffery Katzenberg, and none other than Rocky himself: Sources close to the bidding said NBC agreed to pay $2 million an episode for the 16-part series, a higher license fee than many first-year scripted dramas and sitcoms fetch, but that the deal was structured to allow the network to recover much of the fees. The Burnett Prods. spokesman said the series, planned for a debut sometime next season, would begin casting on Monday for several aspiring pugilists to compete on the show as they slug their way through training and qualifying bouts to a big-time title shot. Stallone, who gained fame in the 1976 film "Rocky" as the small-time boxer who beats the odds to go the distance with the world's heavyweight champion, will play a central role in "The Contender" as a kind of mentor to the young boxers. He also will serve as executive producer with Katzenberg and Burnett, the producer behind such reality shows as the hit franchise "Survivor" on CBS and "The Apprentice" with real estate tycoon Donald Trump on NBC. But the series is not being linked with "Rocky," in part because Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. controls rights to that franchise. Details of the program remained sketchy, but the Burnett Prods. spokesman said the series is envisioned as an unscripted drama that chronicles the struggle of real-life boxers to make a name for themselves rather than as an athletic competition. There's even talk of Stallone et al. creating their own independent boxing federation. Cool! posted by Shaun Kenney \| 2/21/2004 11:06:00 AM \| 0 comments 0 Comments: Post a Comment Home
	RedStormPAC $ JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General? 1) John Brownlee 2) Ken Cuccinelli View Results About ShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia. Contact E-mail RSS/Atom Feed The Jeffersoniad Archives March 2002 April 2002 May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 April 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009