NO SECOND CHANCE (AT ALL)

[16.36 - French Time ] Seconde chance, French channel TF1's 28 million euro ill-fated feuilleton quotidien (daily Soap Opera), didn't win the International Emmy Award 2009 of the Best Telenovela.

The winner is Caminho das Índias/India - A Love Story, the rather original brazilian novela from TV Globo. Shot during 10 weeks in several cities around India, in 13.000 m² of back lots and 7.000 m² of studios with a budget of more than US$ 50 million, India - A Love Story is a creation of Glória Peres, author of O Clone/The Clone (2001-2002) - sold to 90 countries.

The costly Seconde Chance is actually one of the numerous failed attempts to duplicate the success of public channel France 3 with Plus belle la vie (a kind of French Eastenders). The other recent spectacular flop of the genre in France is M6's 17 million euro Paris 16ème.

Note that the winner of the International Emmy Award 2009 of the Best Drama Series is Denmark's Livvagterne/The Protectors. Shown since 2008, produced by DR and distributed by ZDF Enterprises, The Protectors is the Danish answer to Spooks, the British hit from Kudos (among the contenders this year).

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/03/seconde-chance-road-to-eldorado.html
http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/03/is-paris-burning-about-paris-16eme.html

See also:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a188317/international-emmy-awards-2009-the-winners.html
http://www.iemmys.tv/awards_nominees.aspx
http://www.globotvinternational.com/prodDet.asp?catId=1&prodId=115

AVENUES AND ALLEYWAYS

If Is this way to Amarillo? is probably the most remembered hit from iconic singer Tony Christie, thanks to the great comedian Peter Kay - who used it in his wonderful monument of comedy and poetry called Phoenix Nights (2001-2002), and his cult 2005 video for Comic Relief (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW5eUA0I938), Avenues and Alleyways comes certainly in second position for many fans of Christie. Avenues was written by Mitch Murray and Pete Callender and performed by Tony Christie as an end title song for The Protectors (1972-1973), the ITC television series starring Robert Vaughn.

This week, François Justamand - cinema journalist and chief editor of website La Gazette du doublage (the most important website about French-speaking dubbing), writes about the dubbing of The Protectors on the blog of La Gazette in a brilliant article called Dans les rues et dans les avenues (http://www.objectif-cinema.com/blog-doublage/index.php/2009/05/15/170-dans-les-rues-et-dans-les-avenues - In French). Dans les rues et dans les avenues is actually the title of the French version of the title song, recorded by Christie for the French dubbing of The Protectors (Poigne de fer et séduction in French) - made by a company called SOFI (quasi-exclusive dubbing contractor of ITC at the time).

The most interesting part of François Justamand's piece comes at the end as we learn that there's a litigation over the rights of the French lyrics of the song, written by Marcel Stellman. And according to La Gazette du doublage this is probably why there's no rerun of The Protectors on French television since many years.

By the way, please have a look to this fantastic video of Avenues and Alleyways mentioned to me by François Justamand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z-4IGSk9k0. A classy tribute to Maurice Binder's work for James Bond and to shows like The Professionals. And Tony Christie rules!