Yup, it's about the craft. And it's disappointing not to have seen Spielberg all season, with him as a personality
element that would draw an audience.

I'm beginning to think that what really happened here, is that Burnett Productions approached Spielberg simply for the Dreamworks job prize. He never intended to be part of the show, even if his name is listed as a producer. Fox then exploited his name to grab viewers. Bad decision; his lack of appearance has backfired on both him and Fox.

Well, Burnett has so many reality shows on the burners, he's bound to have a burn out eventually. Sadly, it was this one, if not more. I don't watch a few of the other ones.

This one had SO much potential-it is so unlike the others, and I really have grown to love the contestants. But I feel really bad for them. You can see them, week, after week, feeling like the wind is being taken out of their sails. Or is it sales?
I guess THAT would be the show. Too sad!

Maybe a re-group will help bring it back, bold and on the mark, next season! One can only hope.

Unfortunately, with a 1.5 and with them realizing that the demographic of viewers is so small, On The Lot is doomed. The only thing that might save it (and the odds are not it it's favor) is if one of the cable networks (like say Bravo, who does inside the actors studio) took it over.

Completely agreed Sunny Bunny.

LAST EDITED ON 08-05-07 AT 10:47 PM (EST)

That's too bad. I'm surprised it's not doing better.

Just as there are new directors starting out, all the peripherals are just starting out too.

Peripherals?
- advertisers
- merchandisers
- marketing people
- graphic people
- writers
- business support (aka entrepreneurs)
- manufacturers
- builders
- therapists for those who didn't make it
- therapists for those who did make it
- professors who teach economy
- professors who teach...
- and so on, and so on, and so on....

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"is if one of the cable networks (like say Bravo, who does inside the actors studio) took it over"

Interesting take. So you think Fox hasn't done it justice? I wonder why Steven Spielberg went with Fox then?

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I expected to see more of SS too, but as a producer, he may just be sending the message that he's not a mentor, but a producer giving them one shot in a million. We haven't reached the end yet, either. He may have something to say at the end.

It may be that the viewers switched to online. I've often thought of dropping my cable in light of all of the online programming we can now watch just to save a buck or two. We don't have a Nielsens for online viewing. However, if online viewing replaced television viewing, online viewing would quickly evolve to become just like television.

The saturation of advertising is amazing, but as a network, it would be impossible to say nay to the advertising revenue, but do they really need that much to cover the slot? vs more reruns of 24/House during the summer? I dunno, it's confusing.

I personally love Gary Marshall, and the scripts Carrie Fisher has written. I think everything the judges say and do are intended to send a message to these contestants whether it be a conscious decision of theirs or not.

Adrianna is still a puzzle to me, as she's getting a break too. As they say, "I'm just thankful to be working." Cleavage is part of the biz... if she didn't, she'd be slammed for not. It's a double-edged sword, I guess. Whose gowns is she wearing anyway? Another upstart designer maybe? I think for someone like Adrianna, she's going to act like her competition rather than reinventing the "spokeswoman wheel" -- it may be that she could not anticipate what her demographic was going to be, so she knows not how to relate and/or the casting director didn't know either, which would make Adrianna look as though she didn't fit in. It may be that she is just following direction and taking all the heat for bad direction.

This show has tanked because it sucks. It's just been done horribly. Like posted earlier, seemed to be put on the air before it was thought through. Perfect example: Showing the audition videos weeks into the show. That obviously should have been the very first competition.

The movies themselves have been weak. Several of the competitors are semi-indistinguishable. Very little suspense.

I loved the concept, but couldn't take this garbage anymore and quit watching after the "horror" and "mixing two genres" or whatever that was week.

Yeah. Although I watch every week, I got bored with the concept about 5 weeks ago. I've basically been recording it on my DVR and fast forwarding through much of it.

I think one thing that turned me off from the beginning was the attitude of a lot of the contestants. For amateur filmmakers, they sure did think highly of themselves.

Interesting take. So you think Fox hasn't done it justice? I wonder why Steven Spielberg went with Fox then?

No, it's not that Fox has not done it justice, it just seems that Fox isn't the place for the type of competition the show should be. For example, HGTV does Design Star, because the demographic who would watch that show ALREADY tunes in to that channel. Same thing with Project Runway, on Bravo. Were you to put On The Lot with Bravo who produces Inside the Actor's Studio, the demographic who already watches this channel to learn about the craft of acting, would automatically tune in to watch a show that centers around the craft of directing. But, the choice of cable/network is only the tip of the iceberg of problems with this show.

As I said earlier, On The Lot,needs to be produced in a formula similar to Project Runway, with directors and writers competing together, a mentor similar to Tim Gunn rather than a hostess with no knowledge of the business other than being beautiful, and 3 rotating judges who actually know something about the craft beyond being a lead actress in a 30 year old epic blockbuster, and the patriarch of a well respected Television family.

... it may be that she could not anticipate what her demographic was going to be, so she knows not how to relate and/or the casting director didn't know either,

If this is true, than someone in the production chain REALLY needs to be fired. First thing, it is their JOB to understand demographics. They HAD to know that the demographic for this show would be small -- only a handful of working, successful directors would be recognized on sight. We all know Hanks, Howard, Reiner, Brooks and Marshall because they were once actors. We know Spielberg and Lucas because of Star Wars. Not many people could pick many other directors out of a police lineup, because it is their name and not their face that is recognizable.

As for the casting director, IF they were used at all, it was to find someone lovely to look at. It isn't their fault that the production staff SHOULD have told them to find someone who at least knew the craft.

But to be honest with you, I think the current hostess auditioned for this on that age old show "On the casting couch," and it shows. The really bad thing about that, is that while they have camouflaged her inability to hit marks etc., they have not worked with her on banter, what to do with her hands, or even how to interact with the contestants. Production pretty much hung her out to dry, and if I were her, I would be royally ticked off about that.

Univision's “Amar sin Limites” was fifth again. It missed tying "On the Lot" by one-tenth of a ratings point.

Will "Gilmore Girls" top "On the Lot" next week? Who would have expected a canceled show's reruns on a tiny network to beat original series programming on a larger network?

It has happened yet, but "Gilmore Girls" is gaining.

#1: NBC - America's Got Talent (6.6/11)
#2: CBS - Power of 10 (6.1/11) This is rather amazing, considering that it was a premier. You would have thought that would pull some viewers away from AGT!
#3: ABC - Just For Laughs (4.3/8 - avg. for the hour)
#4: FOX - On the Lot (1.5/3)
#5: TCW - Gilmore Girls (1.3/2)

LAST EDITED ON 08-08-07 AT 09:44 PM (EST)

Well, I must say I'm somewhat surprised On the Lot didn't end up On the Bottom with the premiere of The Power of 10. I guess there are a few die-hards like us who are willing to suffer having to look at and listen to Adrianna for what little is left of this (and probably the last) season.