NATPE

First of all, what the heck is NATPE?  It is an abbreviation for the National Association of Television Production Executives and started as a means for TV Executives to get together to share ideas with each other.  According to the www.natpe.org web site, the organization's mission statement is "NATPE, the alliance of media content professionals, is the world's largest and most influential nonprofit television programming and software association dedicated to the continued growth and convergence of all content across all media.

This year, NATPE was held in Las Vegas from Jan 22nd to 25th, with over 20,000 attendees and over 800 exhibitors.  There were lots of booths from studios to promote their shows, both to domestic and international buyers.  And there were lots of stars and celebrities to promote their shows or just to be seen.

First the hard news, some of which I've already posted to the sftvnews email list.

New Shows being pitched for syndication include:

Crossing Over with John Edward - The SciFi Channel's five day a week show starring medium John Edward will be made available to broadcast stations via syndication this fall from Studios USA and it turned out to be the breakthrough show at the convention, adding stations to cover over 70% of the country including stations in most of the major markets.  Some stations will run two episodes back to back to fill up an hour time slot.  Studios USA has not yet decided if shows will air first on SciFi or syndication.  According to press reports, one of the big selling factors was a Dateline report that tried to debunk Edward, but ended up on the fence about him.  The Studios USA reps had copies of the report ready to screen for any doubting executives.

Tracker - From the Depths of Space... The Hunt is on.
Starring Adrian Paul as an alien bounty hunter come to Earth to track down escaped criminals set in Chicago. (Sounds like Brimstone with aliens instead of evil souls).  From the promo sheet on the series:

"There's been a prison break.  Over a hundred dangerous convicts have escaped.  They're led by Zin, the smartest and most ruthless felon known to man.  But these criminals aren't from any world we know...they're from planets that could eat us for lunch.  Zin has devised a wormhole in space that transported all of them to Chicago, where they've set up shop and now traffic in every kind of criminal activity imaginable.

They have powers that are no match for us: the ability to take the form of any human or animall super strength; superior intelligence;and something even more frightening-each one of them is a different kind of alien being-and they each have powers that are indivudal, unique...and immense!

But the prison has sent help.  A TRACKER.  His mission is to capture each and every one of them, dead or alive.  He teams wup with Mel, a hard-luck girl who is finally on the road to salvation as a cub reporter for a Chicago newspaper.

They're a kickass couple, an alien and an earthling, fighting the evils of the universe and, at the same time, fighting something even stronger-an attraction to each other.

Executive producer/Show Runner is Gil Grant, executive producer of Relic Hunter.   Lion's Gate Televison.
No mention of who would be Mel or how many markets it has been sold to.  It appeared to be getting a good amount of attention at the Lions Gate booth.

Colosseum - From the Empire State to the Roman Empire
Starring Andrew Dice Clay as a Brooklyn boxing promoter who goes back in time to the days of ancient Rome due to a magical amulet.   Co-produced by Sam Egan (Outer Limits/Northern Exposure) and Mario Azzopardi  (Director on Highlander, Poltegeist, Outer Limts, Stargate, etc).  Distributed by Pearson Television.  No word on how well the show did at the convention. Pearson was also pushing a couple of other action hours at the convention.  The trade press speculated that they would likely only go with one of them.

From the promo sheet:
"Pearson Television invites you to take the trip of a lifetime!  A trip back in time!  A trip to the greatest arena the world has ever known... the Colosseum!

Gladiators, trained for mortal combat, armed with little more than the will to live, flail at one another, with short swords and tridents...with chains crowned with spiked iron spheres and nets.  They battle not for victory but for their very lives.  The loser dies....the winner lives to fight another day.

In the midst of this soul-stirring spectacle walks a man from another age... 2001.  His name is Tommy Pettigrew, a man who uses his charm the way a prizefighter uses his left hook.  In fact, Tommy makes his living outside the ring as a fight promoter from Brooklyn, New York.  Fast talking, hadr loving, and always looking for an angle.  Tommy lives life on the edge-on a dangerous cusp between fame and infamy, skyrocketing success and nose-diving failure.

While in Rome peparing to promote the biggest fighr of the 21st Century, Tommy Pettigrew's past catches up to him.  Tommy gets chased through the Colosseum by angry loan sharks because he owes them over $400,000.  While being chased Tommy is transported back in time by way of an amulet.  The amulet was hidden in the Colosseum almost two thousand years earlier by a sorceress trying to save her son.

One minute Tommy is about to be shot and the next minute he is in the middle of a gladiator battle at the Colosseum in 95 A.D.  Only the power of the amulet keeps Tommy from becoming another Colosseum statistic.  Having won over the crowd and the Emperor of Rome, Tommy uses his street-wise smoothness to fast talk his way into becoming the fight promoter at the Colosseum by promising to deliver the greatest gladiators in the world.

Now, Tommy is booking events that "make the Super Bowl look like Martha Stewart."  And all the while he's got people trying to get him to fix the fights, gorgeus woman throwing themselves at him and enemies trying to kill him.

This humorous and fast-paced series, full of the pageantry and spectacle once reserved for the big screen, chronicles his daring and hilarious expoloits.

In one magical moment Tommy goes from the Empire State to the Roman Empire.  These are his adventures.  These are his tales."
 

Star Hunter - The Adventures of an Interplanetary Bounty Hunter
A space-based action/adventure drama series with an attitude.  The series takes place in the dangerous frontier of space where there aren't many rules, and few to enforce them.  The year is 2275.  Earth has more or less successfully colonized the entire solar system.  But our reach has surpassed our grasp.

As in the American 'Old West', the "law of the land" is spotty and unreliable.  Things are dangerous out there...it has become the Wild West of outer space.  As the colonies continuously push farther and further out from Eart, lawlessness and crime expand right along.

With the vast distances between Earth and its colonies, the abilities of basic policing services are maxed out.  The use of private forces like bounty hunters, known as 'starhunters', has become common practice.  Their job:  to bring to justice, for the monetary reward, the epidemic of criminals terrorizing the colonies.

On Star Hunter, Bounty Hunter Dante Montana along with his niece Percy and his mysterious munitions expert Lucretia (Luc) and the holographic first mate, Caravaggio take their aging hunter ship, the Tulip, in pursuit of interplanetary criminals.

The greatest evil force is a group known as The Raiders, Dante Montana's archenemies.  Ten years earlier, they stole Dante's son, Travis, and killed his wife, Penny along with Percy's parents.  Dante roams the galaxy in search of Travis whom he believes is still alive and living amongst the Raiders.

Cast: Michael Pare is Dante Montan, Claudette Roche is Lucretia Scott, Tanya Allen is Percy Montana, and Murray Melvin is Caravaggio.  Created and Produced by Daniel D'or and G. Philip Jackson, Executive producers Elaine Scott and Stefan Jones, Co-Producers George Campana, Alain Bordiec and Andrew Somper.

Mutant X - From Tribune Entertainment, Fireworks Entertainment, and Marvel Entertainment

Mutant X represents the next generation of Marvel Entertainment's highly popular franchise of mutant characters, detailing the heroic exploits of a group of genetically altered humans, bound together by their extraordinary powers.

Possessing formidable talents, evil mutants represent a powerful force, seeking to destroy Mutant X.  It is the mission of the Mutant X team to stay one step ahead in order to protect and save those who would be their victims.

The new generation of mutants include:

Adam Zero - Quite simply he is the smartest man in the world, the living embodiment of all human knowledge - the leader, strategist and brain trust for Mutant X.  (Listed as Adam Xero on casting info)

ShadowFox - Genetically crossbred with animal DNA, ShadowFox is a fiery and feral beauty - uncannily fast, inhumanly agile and completely unpredictable.

Fuse - The master of electricity, Fuse is able to literally throw off sparks - and he loves being a superhero.

Rapport - She can create a psychic link with any other living thing, and with some effort, can manipulate the way others feel, think, and react.

Synergy - The Id, Ego and Superego become flesh with Synergy's ability to split himself into three unique aspects of the human personality.

The debut of Mutant X follows in the footsteps of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda as the next hit action hour from the successful partnership of Fireworks Entertainment and Tribuen Entertainment.  Working together with Marvel Entertainment, this series will feature stunning effects, intriguing storylines, and compelling performances that will generate wide audience appeal.

William Shatner's Full Moon Frightfest - 12 Full Moon horror/scifi movies,  hosted by Shatner with contests where viewers can win a chance to co-host, get a date with a Full Moon Scream Queen or be in a Full Moon movie.  Titles listed are Puppet Master Vs. Demonic Toys, Oblivion, Castle Freak, Hideous, Head of the Family, Horrorvision, Killjoy, Witchouse II, Shrunken Heads, Ragdoll, Sideshow and Vampire Journals.

Other U.S. Syndication News and Info

The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne - Being shopped by Promark for U.S. syndication this fall.  They had props from the show and the four main actors present.   Shortly after NATPE, promark said they have cleared 41% of the country.  Pictures in the NATPE Pictures area.

Tribune Entertainment - Announced that their other three action hours (Andromeda, Earth: Final Conflict and Beastmaster) were firm gos for this fall.

The Lost World - New Line was advertising a firm go for season three with time slot improvements and double runs added for some markets.

Paramount - Zero publicity for their distributed shows, Relic Hunter and Queen of Swords.  Paramount was mainly pushing their own productions at the show.  Fireworks Entertainment was pushing the shows for international distribution, though.

Buffy -- Cleared about 98% of the country for the weekend airings like they've been doing with The X-Files, running weekdays on cable's FX and weekends on broadcast stations.  These runs will start this fall.
 

Celebrity Jeopardy

As part of the activities going on at the convention, Jeopardy was taping four editions of Celebrity Jeopardy and five editions of International Jeopardy.  The Celebrity Jeopardy episodes will air the Week of Feb 5th:

Feb 5th - Jodie Foster, Harry Connick, Jr., Nathan Lane
Feb 6th - Jeff Probst, Martha Stewart, Charles Barkley
Feb 7th - Wayne Brady, Eric Idle, Dana Delany
Feb 8th - Kevin Sorbo, Jane Krakowski, Mike Piazza
Feb 9th - Seth Green, Brandi Chastain, Steven Page

(The last four were taped in Las Vegas, the first in LA)