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"10-31 Mark Burnett Press Conference notes"
SurvivorBlows 15230 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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10-31-03, 05:12 PM (EST)
 
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"10-31 Mark Burnett Press Conference notes" |
Below is a raw write-up of my notes... I'll try and fix any typos when I get a chance later======================================
10/31 MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL w/ MARK BURNETT NOTES
Chris Ender (CBS PR) opens by saying that every time there's ever been a "twist" in the past editions of the show, CBS has been pounded with interview requests for Mark Burnett, so this time they decided to be a bit more pro-active and schedule a conference call in advance of the anticipated media requests... so without further ado, heeerrrrrreee's Mark Burnett. <Mark Burnett joins the call... certainly sounding like he's calling from a remote location like Panama while Ender is in LA> First question is from TV Guide about.... duh... the return of the Outcasts. Burnett babbles on about it, even noting that apparently is his eyes the word "twist" has now become a "real word" that he created (huh??) The Outcast idea was envisioned well in advance -- the first twist in Africa was first envisioned in Australia, and the "Outcast" idea was something that he first envisioned while on location in the Amazon. He babbles on at this point about watching lots of pirate movies, pirate themes, and pirates returning from the dead -- he did that alot during the call, I didn't bother noting it all. The lesson here was that apparently Burnett watched "Pirates Of The Caribbean" this past summer... several times apparently. Next question was about Osten, how upset were the Survivor folks with him, and is he basically going to be disowned from future events, etc. -- the reporter noticed he wasn't given any final words. According to Burnett, Osten had been threatening to quit since Day 4 and "cried all the time." Burnett "completely supports" Jiffy's harsh stance with Osten (dropping the torch, telling him to "go home" rather than the "tribe has spoken") and says the final words weren't shown because Osten just repeated the same crap about his "temple" that he'd always been saying and that to show them would "bore the viewers" since they "didn't add anything." Burnett also talked about how Darrah was shrinking into nothing yet she quickly said they'd have to carry her dead body out of the game -- versus Osten's behavior, which according to him (and I missed the exact wording on this) came at the worst time. It was pretty clear Osten won't be getting a Christmas card from Burnett this year. On did the twist hurt the game? Burnett says he's heard the same thing ever since Africa when he did the first twist. Then he got a little prissy and started saying that after six editions and all the DVD's and books (DVD's? books?) people know the game and THEY THINK IT'S THEIR GAME (the nerve of them!) and tell him stuff like "hey, it's Day 17, isn't it supposed to be overcast today?" The twist is to keep things fresh, players can't be knowing what's coming up, merge, no merge... blah... blah... blah... On the living conditions of the Outcasts: They probably got a better nights sleep than any of the outcasts, but were on strict rations. They had no idea that they were coming back, some were upset when they learned after being voted off that they couldn't go pig out or go on a trip to some area attractions. They were only told that they'd have a chance to "participate" in a reward challenge (they apparently had no idea what their role or function would be during the challenge. On the "kidnap" event that sent Rupert to Morgan: The kidnap was planned all along, it had nothing to do with the fact the size of the tribes or as a punishment to Drake for throwing the challenge. He said they didn't know Drake was going to throw the challenge since castaways frequently tell them all kinds of lies during the game and frequently tell them they plan on doing one thing and then do something else. It was "total coincidence" that the "kidnap" happened to happen in the same challenge that Drake threw... the whole "kidnap" idea was part of the "pirates" and "back from the dead" storyline that he stole from a whole slew of pirate movies that he watched this summer and if Morgan had lost the challenge, yes, they'd have lost a member to the eight-member Drake tribe for a couple of days. The "kidnap" idea was "sprung" on the cast AFTER the challenge was done for maximum drama -- just like in "Thailand" Jiffy suddenly asked anyone if they wanted to switch tribes. They need to keep people on their toes, assuming nothing. More the the Outcasts living conditions: They were very limited in calories, but probably didn't get rained on like folks left in Drake and Morgan. The challenge was intentionally "not physical" -- "it was all about undoing knots." Burnett doesn't seem to understand that sometimes your physical well-being can effect your mental alertness and acuity. The challenge was a "level playing field" and the Outcasts won "on adrenaline" (apparently Burnett doesn't realize that folks booted out of the game might be in a position to physically HAVE MORE OF A CAPABILITY for "adrenaline" than those who've been out in the wild for 18 days.) Question about the All-Star Survivor. There will be no formal announcement until January since they don't think it would be fair to the current castaways and don't want to take anything away from "Pearl" (or maybe that should be "Pearl 1") For some reason he specifically mentioned "Jon" and "Chrissy" by name when talking about how it wouldn't be fair to the current cast. It will premiere sometime is late January, early February. Burnett and Ender kinda crypticly let it be known that Burnett is lobbying for the post-Super Bowl slot but apparently nothing has been finalized yet. Also Burnett claims that no All Star participant knows who else will be in competition until the competition starts Re: the return of the Outcasts -- why do they decide who returns via a tribal council rather than via another challenge among the Outcasts where the top two winners get back into the game? Burnett says because it's "fascinating how they choose" (someday I'm going to start a list of Burnettisms, and "fascinating" is going to be near the top of the list) and that it's a "close vote" (well gee, there are only six of them...) Burnett also adds that "this isn't ESPN" and having the decision hinge on a challenge would turn this into a physical competition and that's not what Survivor is about. After much pausing from Burnett where he apparently deliberated on whether he wanted to reveal this, Burnett revealed that the decision on which tribe the two returnees return to is made after the vote is done and Jiffy throws a Drake buff and a Morgan buff into the urn and tells each returnee to draw one (random draw.) The challenge happened at about 11AM. Their TC was at 10:30PM. In between there was a complete gag order among the outcasts so when we see them at their TC (which is how Ep 7B will open) it's the first time any of them get to talk about coming back into the game and why they should be the one to come back. Re: the Pearl Island broadcast schedule, there will be no recap episode this season -- Burnett hates doing the recap episode (I'm sure this part made Ender thrilled) but since they don't do full seasons like other scripted shows, etc. CBS always makes them do it to be able to stretch the season. He's "delighted" to not have to do it because the day after is always "an awful day around my company" since the ratings always drop during that episode and they have to start all over again as far as building ratings momentum. This was when Burnett revealed that he's received the OK to announce that the finale will air Sunday, December 14 and will air LIVE FROM PANAMA CITY, PANAMA. Burnett "asked Leslie" for an opportunity to "do something different" because New York and LA had already been done a couple of times. Also some babble about how Jiffy gets a really great entrance this time.... blah, blah, blah (what he's not going to jetski to NYC again?) It will air from 8-10PM ET, the typical one hour reunion show with Jiffy hosting will follow at 10PM. Finale is planned to be held outdoors, pending weather. Some Canadian writer asked if Canadians will ever be allowed on the show. Burnett said (like he says every single time a Canadian reporter asks this damn question) that he'd love to, but there are some legal issues involved. He's worked a lot of the Canadian film industry and half his Eco-Challenge crew is Canadian, and one year he's like to do a Survivor edition with an Australian, a Canadian, and an Englishman. Some writer with kohones asks Burnett that despite the fact it's hard to keep anything secret in today's world, how he feels that "the Internet" revealed this twist "months ago, before the season ever began." Burnett says "it's hard" and "it is what it is." But most importantly, Burnett takes solace in the fact that "it doesn't effect the ratings" and points out that once he heard someone online was excited that "a big chat got 5,000 people" while "we get 20 million viewers a week." "Normal viewers" don't spend all day at work online, they "get work done." Memo to self: Take Burnett off *MY* Christmas card list this year. Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Sun-Times asked "is this the last we've seen of the Outcasts?" A veteran of Burnettisms, Phil's not taking any crap from Burnett, so he and Burnett begin a little bit of a duel, with Burnett repeatedly pausing before deciding if he (apparently) wants to confirm that the concept of folks returning to the game is over for this edition or whether he wants to keep the viewing public in "suspense" for the rest of the series. Finally he confirms the four losers of the Episode 7B Outcast voting out gone for good, but Phil let's him off the hook with a "all bets are off" response as to any future bootees. MY TAKE: No one's coming back, Burnett, just doesn't want to get the idea out of the back of the viewer's minds. Someone asks if Survivor is now "following instead of leading" -- haven't we already seen this "bring back the dead" trick on Big Brother, etc. Burnett swears he's never seen a single episode of Big Brother. The reporter counters that surely CBS has. Burnett goes into another tizzy about why would it matter what CBS thinks, it's not their show, they just broadcast it, they don't make any of the decisions (Burnett apparently forgot that among other things, it's a well known fact that Les Moonves himself reviews the final cast list before casting is closed.) Burnett babbles on and his defense basically boils down to "I didn't rip-off Big brother, I ripped off Pirates Of The Caribbean, Lord Of The Flies, and Castaway" Re: casting, Burnett says he doesn't worry about thinks any more, stopped worrying after Africa -- now he just casts sixteen dynamic, Type-A people who are used to being leaders (what did Skinny Ryan lead, the baggers union?) He doesn't worry about the tribal competitions anymore, if at some point a tribe does get decimated and go into a merge at something like 8-2, then it's new unexplored drama.
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Oscirus 1596 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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10-31-03, 05:53 PM (EST)
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2. "RE: 10-31 Mark Burnett Press Conference notes" |
Burnett needs to quit whining about Osten because that abomination is partially his fault and Burnett needs to get some better twist because this current one is bull get booted out of the game and get an automatic seat on the jury MB DONT RUIN A GREAT GAME BETTER TWISTS PLEASE
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KObrien_fan 8360 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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10-31-03, 07:23 PM (EST)
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6. "RE: purple rock" |
While I agree on one level this twist sucks, it may end up like the purple rock. I hate the purple rock but guess what? It has NEVER returned and there has never been a tie since. OK- seeing as you brought up that stupid purple rock...Tell me that rock did not randomly determine the outcome of S4. At the point of the tie it came down to KO and Neleh. Because Vee had immunity, she was free from the PR, but Pappy was affected by it. In fact, he drew the PR which put KO at a disadvantage going to the log standing IC in which Neleh said "oh my heck your boob is showing". Pappy would not have lasted 5 minutes in the shape he was in, and so the remaining challenge would have been KO vs Vee. Maybe Vee still backstabs KO after Pappy crumbles, and brings him to the finals, or maybe KO outlasts Vee on the post without being told to check her shirt. Was it fair for Pappy to have been arbitrarily booted by the PR when he wasn't even tied in the dang vote and after he had gotten to F4? Oh my heck no! In any case, I do agree that MB needs to keep the players off guard in this game, and that the players need to be flexible and roll with the punches. I think the GT was a lot more "fair" (at least they had to compete for the right to come back) then the purple rock, and used again in another Survivor, it may have a different twist even then. MB got what he wanted, the ratings were clear...and as JP said early on, either you will love it or hate it! How true! 
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cqvenus 9765 desperate attention whore postings
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10-31-03, 06:00 PM (EST)
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3. "whoa" |
allow me to unveil for the first time what I, as a newbie, thought the "EP" preceding the "MB" stood for.care to guess? no, not executive producer. where would the fun be in THAT? answer: Ego Prick please don't ask where I came up with that. I figured it had to be what you guys meant, and I deduced it ALL based on the context. methinks I was right all along  
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
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10-31-03, 06:03 PM (EST)
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4. "RE: whoa" |
http://www.canoe.ca/JamSurvivorPearl/oct31_survivorburnett-can.htmlBy JOHN POWELL -- Jam! Showbiz
If it was up to 'Survivor' executive producer Mark Burnett, he would cast Canadians to be on his blockbuster reality show series in a heartbeat. It is legal issues which prevent Canucks from joining in on the fun of eating bugs and starving to death for a million dollars. " There is no reason why we wouldn't. One year, I would love to have an Australian involved, a Canadian and someone British. It is nothing discriminatory. It is honestly just legal issues. It has to do with contracts. You can't enforce the same things overseas. That is the only reason," Burnett told Jam! Showbiz. "You know me. I have worked in Canada a lot. A lot of my crew are Canadian. I mean in Eco-Challenge, half my crew are Canadian. I love working with Canadians. I could totally see a Mountie or a lumberjack on the show. There are so many great characters that would really work well." Viewers who took in last night's shocking episode of 'Survivor: Pearl Islands", which finally beat rival 'Friends' in the ratings for the first time since May of 2001, saw the booted players return and win the right to re-enter the game while the Morgan and Drake tribes had to vote out a member each. Fans will have to wait until next week to see who the Outcast tribe votes back into the game. That special Tribal Council occurs right after the opening sequence. The question remains though will the resurrected players go back to their original tribes? Maybe not says Burnett who described how the process will shape up next week. "After the vote, Jeff puts the two buffs, one of each colour, into the urn and one of the returning players gets to put their hand in and choose a buff and that's how they do it. It is totally random," he revealed. Besides the twist of the Outcasts returning last night, the happening that really shook viewers was the treatment of Morgan pantywaist muscle-man Osten Taylor who was gutted by host Jeff Probst and his own tribe for quitting the game and requesting that Morgan vote him out. Taylor wasn't even granted the courtesy of some closing comments as the end credits rolled. Instead, all viewers saw was footage of Morgan departing Tribal Council. Though Burnett holds no grudge against Taylor now for quitting the game, he makes no apologies for the way in which Osten's departure was handled on the show. "Osten had threatened to quit since like Day Four or something. He is a big huge guy who probably could kill me outside the game and yet he cried about the game all the time. Eventually, it came down to him quitting and he did it at the worst time. By the way, I totally support Jeff Probst's harsh stance. That Jeff did not put his torch up with the others. Jeff did not say..."The tribe has spoken." He said "Go home," said Burnett. "There was nothing new in his final words. Typically someone will say something new. Osten said the same stuff. So, it was kind of a waste of energy for the viewers. A waste of energy for me." With some fans terming the twist as unfair and booted Drake player Shawn Cohen expressing his frustration with it on Friday morning's edition of 'The Early Show', Burnett defended bringing the booted players back saying that they lived on very limited rations, had very long days and had no idea they would be playing for the chance to return to the game until Probst made the announcement at the challenge. He did admit though that the Outcasts probably slept better than the Survivors still in the game. With prospective players knowing so much about the series before they even apply to be on the show, Burnett believes that the only way to keep new players on their toes is to introduce twists to the game. "I've got people coming in now during the seventh season who have watched six seasons, they have bought the DVDs and they think it is THEIR game. They are telling me...'Isn't today Day Seventeen, Mark? Shouldn't there be like a rain cloud today? I am like, you know, shut the f--k up and just play. Don't assume anything. We tell them 24 hours before they start no to assume anything like there is going to be two tribes, there are going to be rations, there is gonna be buffs, there's gonna be Jeff. Don't assume anything. Just go there and have an open mind. The important thing for me is...shaking up. Don't assume that it is the same game every time. It is simply a game of social psychology and thinking on your feet no matter what happens," said Burnett. In what will certainly be good news to 'Survivor' fans, Burnett disclosed that there will be no "recap" episode this year. This is due to episode seven being divided into two parts. The finale of 'Survivor: Pearl Islands' will air on December 14th and will be broadcast live from Panama City. Burnett promises that Probst's traditional arrival on the set will be a sight to behold and that holding the finale in Panama was the only way to pull it off. Rumour has it that Probst will battle through pirates to arrive at the final Tribal Council where the winner of the 'Pearl Islands' edition will be crowned. Burnett would not confirm rumours that the next edition of 'Survivor' - the All-Star series featuring former players - will also be filming in Panama quite soon. Burnett would also not reveal who the participants would be as he thinks it would take away from the attention the 'Pearl Islands' players deserve. "The point is that these people on the Pearl Islands busted their asses. They went out there for 39 days, starved and fought hard for whatever the outcome ends up being. It would be disrespectful for Rupert, Jon and Christa to be overshadowed in the news because of the old Survivors. It was really a respect thing more than anything else." Some mention made by people of his comment about those three.
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Round Robin 2914 desperate attention whore postings
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11-01-03, 01:44 AM (EST)
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7. "RE: whoa" |
Burn-it is such a BSer. I wish for once in his life he would develop some minimal acquaintance with telling the truth and quit spouting all this hogwash. The players deserve to know all the rules beforehand and the viewers deserve not to be outright lied to as Burnett has done on more than one occasion. Nothing Burn-it says about the show has any credibility anymore because of all the lies and half truths he keeps telling, and even though Jeffy is well paid and likes his job, it must grate his cheese to have to play along with all Burn-it's bullhockey. I'd like to see these reporters call Marko on his BS more often and stop aiding and abetting him in propagating his endless forest of fibs.
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AyaK 10426 desperate attention whore postings
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11-03-03, 12:35 PM (EST)
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9. "Canada" |
FWIW, the issue with casting Canadians is that Burnett doesn't own the intellectual property rights for Survivor for Canada. Instead, Castaway Productions still owns the rights, and they aren't willing to just hand them over to Burnett for free -- although, considering how much money Burnett has made for them over the years, perhaps they should!
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