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Planet Group
Factual Entertainment
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e a l t e r n a t i v e n e w s l e t t e r n o t
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Summer 2003, Paris-New York (and
a couple of places in between) There’s No Time to Spare…. Looking forward to the Fall Market! Written by Patrick Nagle |
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Yep, it's summer here in Paris, so if you’re planning to be in this neck of the woods, make sure you check my notes at the end of this newsletter for some very cool things to do that you won’t find in the guide books!
But for now, let’s go to
business….
Sometimes we head into a
market with new programs and ideas related to what we’ve learned from the past,
what has been popular and what the sages surrounding us have to say. Getting
our ducks in order over the summer is not so easy this time. Nobody seems to
know where to go next…but one thing for sure is that viewers are becoming more
dependent on television than ever for entertainment, learning AND information!
We will continue to follow
that theme!
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Not exactly a vacation trip! Our French/Spanish crew is now in North Korea gathering interviews and footage related to our new program for the Axis of Evil Series: Kim Jong Il…The Despot from the East. Saddam and Iraq are behind
us. Next stop Syria and Iran |
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Take history for
example…younger viewers live in the present, but also in the recent past!
Perhaps The Discovery Channel
will become the History Channel and The History Channel will go more towards
the E Channel with ‘historical entertainment’ and The National Geographic
Channel will aim to ‘catch up’, bending basic
themes to become more positioned as history-savvy. All we know is that viewers’
references are becoming more and more tied to current events, and they’re not
getting the full story. They crave background, and we plan to make it
available.
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“The Curse
of Oil”…Hey, has this stuff created problems, or what? The
success of our One-Hour “The Curse of Oil” has led to further development,
and we are now in production on a Four- Hour Series, based on our successful
profiles of a number of Mid-Eastern and Latin American leaders, and access to
some very deep archives! |
Take a closer look at the
Bravo’s of the world.
You don’t need to be a brain
surgeon to realize that their directions have changed also…wanting to be more
entertaining, but in much deeper ways…’drilling down as we say’…offering less
floaty stuff and more detail. Detail seems to be a watchword…and it’s what
people talk about at parties. Not so much to impress others, but to share
something learned that’s interesting! What’s entertainment anyway? It’s
something that we do that gives us a good feeling about ourselves.
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Fred Astair
didn’t have a care! But
most of us don’t know why, so we decided to find out. Thus began the creation
of Four New Series on “Cinematheque..The Story of the Movies”. Guaranteed,
there’s something for everybody! |
Homeland Security, coming
to a home near you!
Still at the end of it all,
for us it seems that the unfolding of current events around the world related
to terrorism, safety, health and security continues to push people deeper and
deeper into their holes. As they ‘hide’, staying home, not traveling, eating
more healthy, getting older and more concerned for their jobs and their kids,
they sometimes want ‘escape’ with the tube; but sometimes, they yearn for more
information. Those who yearn are OUR ‘end users’…the viewers who want to find
out more about why this world has become so crazy. Sometimes a healthy look at
the past helps us see the future.
We believe that our ‘end user’ might say something like this…
“Golly, gee whiz, HOW did it happen? Now that I’ve just
learned for the tenth time about how mummies were preserved, and how the cradle
of civilization began in Iraq (absolutely true), the Middle East seems to have
become a seething, righteous group of peoples, terrified of anything remotely
associated with Western ways, or God Forbid…OUR religions. Fine. They have theirs, we have ours. So
just leave us alone, and we’ll leave you alone.”
“Islamic Jihad evil-doers,
that’s what they are. Hey, you guys, stop! Seems the Garden of Eden has become
the Garden of Evil. They don’t get us, and we sure don’t get them. This is the
‘home town’ of Saddam and Osama. So is this the new cold war? No man, it’s the
new hot war. So just maybe if I knew a little more about the Islamic world and
how it got that way; maybe I would get it…maybe even get to see it from an
entertaining, historical perspective, other than what I get from Fox News, CNN
and other media forces that have used ‘fear-bites’ to drive ratings*. Then just
maybe I could get a better handle on it.
If I can ‘handle’ it, I can try to understand. That makes me more knowledgeable…and less
afraid!“
*Check
out the article by James Wolcott in the June issue of Vanity Fair (their
readers are definitely our viewers).
“Jihad…History of a Word”
So what’s in a Word? Lots!We have been fortunate to link with a number of Middle Eastern filmmakers who have created a co-production opportunity
of real significance. Yes, they have amazing
contacts and connections. Do they know how to produce for television? Not the
way we know it. We promise a very exciting
“History of a Word…Jihad” coming in Fall 2003! |
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So OK, maybe you don’t agree!
Perhaps you disagree with us
on all of the above. We know we will hear positive things from some of you.
The others? They will ignore
us and keep broadcasting mummies, fighter pilots of WWII, man-eating snakes and
tarantula diaries. That’s cool too, but
‘Yes, Virginia…there’s room for everybody on the Planet’.
Have a great summer, let us
hear from you…see you in September!
Cheers-Patrick
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It’s all
coming together! And you’re invited! “September
2003: A Day in the Life of New York City” On
the third anniversary of the WTC terrorist attack, 20 top leaders from New
York and the World sit down together for dinner across the street from ground
zero and discuss the future. It’s
two hours of informational entertainment. The real life actors include some
major surprises!! |
PS: As mentioned/
From the Paris
Notebook…
Even with American sentiment
running in the opposite direction, Paris is still # 1 on the list for more
visitors than any other city on the planet. July and August are good times to
come as the city itself is pretty much devoid of Parisians, who take
one-month’s vacation during the period. (Amazing huh? That’s on top of the
government-mandated 35-hour workweek!)
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Yep, that’s the Louvre
that you’re looking down on. If you only have a couple of days, most of the
goodies listed below are centered
around that area! PS-Think North, South,
East and West You can just about see my favorite foot bridge. |
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Here are a few cool things
to do that you won’t find in the guidebooks.
An Arty Afternoon, Hip
Cocktail and Funky Dinner
In the late afternoon (around
6PM) take a stroll down the Rue du Seine in St. Germain and check out the
galleries. Then make a pit stop at ‘La Palette’ for a refresher…but not too
many because then you’re invited to an open “ex-pat experience”, Thursday
evenings, on the Pont des Arts, a walking bridge at the bottom of the Rue du
Seine.
There on the bridge, at
around 8PM, you will find ex-pats from America and all over the world sharing a
bottle of wine as the sun goes down. (BYOB) Sometimes this can be delightful
fun; sometimes it’s a bust. Depends on who shows up!
To top it off before dinner,
head over to Café Marley in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum. Very chic!…Just a five-minute
walk from the bridge.
Then, for an interesting
dinner experience, you can head into the Marais and grab a bite at Le Coup de
Foudre. It’s not expensive, far from glamorous, but lots of fun! Or, if you like duck, try the La Trumilou at
84 Quai Hotel de Ville, also
within easy walking distance from the Pont des Arts. This is the best and
cheapest duck in town. If you just made a killing, or your grandmother just
left you a small fortune, there’s always Tour D’Argent for the most expensive
duck on the planet.
Taste of Islam
So you’re a bit terrified to
travel to Morocco or Lebanon right now? You can get a great sense of this side
of things at the Paris Mosque just across the street from the Jardins des
Plantes (an ancient park that was home- base for the science world at the time
of Louis XIV). Go for an elaborate steam/massage or sample the mint teas and
eat the goodies in the courtyard garden…best in Paris.
Then if you’re really into
it, head to Chez Omar on Rue Bretagne for dinner. Omar, very Hollywood
friendly, holds court for all of the film stars when they are in town. Best couscous and people watching in Paris,
Romance
Right behind the Notre Dame
Cathedral, on the river, you’ll find The Kiosk Flottant. It’s a little floating
restaurant with an upper deck. Try to get there at sunset. The view is super…a
good place to fall in love, or break up.
Fun Sunday Afternoon
If you like antiques and old
junk, take the afternoon and hit the Marches aux Puces, one of the oldest and
biggest flea markets in the world. It’s at the northern edge of the city and
easy to reach on the metro that ends at Porte de Clignancourt. Bring more of
grandma’s inheritance if you’re a serious buyer. Otherwise, for a few bucks you
can pick up something funky and memorable. For a great roast chicken and a lot
of fun don’t miss Chez Louis, right inside the Marche. It’s the funkiest place
you’ve ever seen. Family-style with long tables and twin singing proprietors
who both look like Groucho Marx!
Getting bored yet?
In that case, you can always
pop by our facilities for a mini-tour and screen one of the hundreds of hours
of the stuff we are in the business of selling. Then you can buy us lunch and
write off your entire trip!
Boy, am I dreaming, or what?
Hope you enjoy your
visit! Will save the rest for the
next! -P