IT'S ONLY A MOVIE, INGRID (EPISODE 2)

In which Emma, er... Ingrid sees green and reads that Life on Mars could not be the only British jewel to move to the US, remembering the immortal words of Sir Alan Parker: « I mean what is the British Film Industry anyway? Just a bunch of people in London who can't get Green Cards » (Will Write and Direct for Food, Page 85 - Cf. http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2008/05/will-write-and-direct-for-food.html)

IT'S NOT THAT EASY, SEING GREEN

« ... and I've seen it before.. and I'll see it again... yes I've seen it before... just little bits of history repeating » sung Dame Shirley Bassey (Bless her name till the end of times and beyond). Almost as an echo of our previous post about new dogs with old tricks come now new frog with new tricks, as Disney announces a new movie starring Jim Henson's beloved children: Kermit the Frog and The Muppets (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2636106/Muppet-Show-to-return-to-TV-after-27-years.html).

This is of course not the first Muppet movie but this one will be written by Jason Segel, writer and star of the comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), and if it does well at the B.O. it could bring back The Muppet Show on television with Segel helming the program. Most amusingly, unlike what is written everywhere, this is not the first attempt to revive The Muppet Show (1976-1981) for tv. But everybody seems to forget the short-lived Muppets Tonight, shown from 1996 to 1998 on ABC.

In 2006 France even had its own local version, by radio and television presenter/producer Sébastien Cauet for TF1. The original series, green-lighted in its time by UK media baron extraordinary Sir Lew Grade (http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/lewgrade.htm) for his ITC Entertainment company, is very popular in this country, because of its first french-speaking dubbing voices (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10309340742&refurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fs.php%3Fq%3Dgroupe%2Broger%2Bcarel%26init%3Dq). The first Muppet show was the addition of Jim Henson's Folie douce to the generous spirit of Lord Grade, and to capture the essence of that magic is mission: impossible.

WHAT? WHAT?

According to several websites, Jane Tranter (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/controllers/janetranter.shtml), the BBC controller responsible of fiction, the woman whose influence on television series in UK equals the legacies of Verity Lambert and Lew Grade, is in talks to move next year to the Mecqua of global Entertainment industry: Los Angeles (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i22e2d720f4d22efde882e4a61e56b79b).

« One source said: "Unsurprisingly, Jane has quite a few offers to consider. People within the BBC are being told she will make an announcement about her future before the end of the year " » writes Tara Conlan in The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/aug/28/janetranter.bbc?gusrc=rss&feed=media). To understand why the Kingdom awaits this announcement, suffice to say that Jane Tranter's flair and instinct brought such gems as the new Doctor Who, Life on Mars or Spooks to the Corporation.

She once said: « Can anyone remember what BBC drama was like in 2000? How bare and depressing the BBC drama cupboard was? » (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/01/bbc.television1). One of the options would be for her to stay within the noble house to work for what is said to be BBC Worldwide's new US drama production unit, but her departure from its UK public service would not be without consequences as fiction is the jewel of the BBC's crown. Add what Mimi Turner wrote in Hollywood Reporter: « ...though there also is a chance that [Julie] Gardner may move to the U.S to work with Tranter in Los Angeles », take a look at http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2008/08/killer-memorandum.html, and take the TARDIS to the troubled times of Bugs (1995-1999).

According to Digital Spy, quoting News of the World, two of the 2009 Doctor Who specials could be shot in the US (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a126698/dr-who-specials-to-film-in-america.html). Should this information be confirmed could we imagine that a possible move of Ms Tranter to Los Angeles (provided it's confirmed too) could be useful in some way or another to manage to get additional funding or co-production from a US partner (?), like Hustle - co-produced by American cable channel AMC. Note that the show is already co-funded by canadian CBC.

Hopefully, Survivors, the re-imagining of Terry Nation's classic (1975-1977) by Adrian Hodges (The Lady in the Smoke, Primeval), is coming... (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/05_may/30/survivors.shtml).