Studio Chatter

Here's two industry blurbs that caught my eye, from this past week, courtesy Studio Briefing:

First, it was a Broadway musical, then it was adapted for the big screen in 1978, and now it's...

'Grease': The Reality Show

The casting of a Broadway musical will become a TV reality series when NBC launches You're the One That We Want, a midseason show in which viewers will select the leads for a revival of Grease on Broadway. (The show's title was lifted from a song title in the musical.) It will be produced by Kathleen Marshall, who will serve as a judge on the TV show, along with Jim Jacobs, the co-creator of Grease, and theatrical producer David Ian. The Grease revival is scheduled to open on Broadway in June 2007, with tickets going on sale in December. It is being produced by BBC Worldwide Productions, the commercial subsidiary of the publicly funded British broadcast company.

Meanwhile, auditions for Season 6 of Fox's American Idol kicked off at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena Tuesday.

MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!!

Pellicano Case to Enter Civil Litigation

While the criminal investigation into the alleged wiretapping activities of Hollywood private eye Anthony Pellicano appearing to be throttled, several civil lawsuits seem to be proceeding full-bore.

The Hollywood Reporter reported... (Thursday) that attorney Stephen Kolody has filed suit charging that Pellicano wiretapped his conversations with client Lisa Kerkorian while she was battling her ex-husband, former MGM owner Kirk Kerkorian, in a child-support case.

Named in the suit besides Pellicano are Terry Christensen and Dennis Wasser, Kirk Kerkorian's attorneys, and their respective law firms.

____Sputter____Sputter___Sputter