Uhh...okay, anybody out there that's gone through the filmmaking process see any potential in this "reality" show by Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg?

First show wasn't as annoying as I thought it would be and the pitch segment is pretty funny with all these hipster filmmaker wannabes clamming up when "selling" their concepts to judges Carrie Fisher, Garry Marshall and Brett (who?) Ratner...

What's great is the majority of the contestants have no clue as to how to formulate a story with a beginning, middle and end - most ramble. I wish the judges would be more cruel a la Simon Cowell and really put these greenhorns in their place.

Since movies and their making have been completely demystified, its a lark to see how many people out there really think they can swing shooting a film...I know I couldn't hack it...

So, ultimately, will the winner of this get the opportunity to produce a big time motion picture?

Maybe it's just me, but hasn't the concept of "take X number of talented young people who exhibit promise in profession Y, and put them through Z number of high-pressure elimination tests until only one is left standing, with lots of incidental as well as manufactured drama along the way" gotten really, really tiresome of late? ON THE LOT is following dutifully in the footsteps of TOP CHEF, TOP DESIGN, and SHEAR GENIUS, just to name three similar, practically interchangeable shows off the top of my head.

Nevertheless, I watched the whole thing, although as I commented elsewhere, that wasn't so much because it was rivetingly interesting; I was feeling ill and was very tired the night it aired, and just couldn't muster enough energy to either get up off the couch or change the channel. Someone else pointed out the obvious comparison I'd missed: PROJECT GREENLIGHT, which I've yet to see.

I don't doubt the winner of ON THE LOT will get a shot at directing a real Hollywood picture, which in all fairness will be a well-deserved opportunity if the brutal pace of the assigned tasks continues in the upcoming episodes - the contestants who made it past the first cut didn't even have time to catch their breath after operating on very little sleep to craft their assigned pitches before being informed that the next task was to write, shoot, and edit a short film (in teams of three), due in 24 hours.

I thank the show for its submission but it's just night right for me at this time.

The commercials promised that the winner would get to make "a million-dollar" Hollywood movie.

If I'm not mistaken, a million dollars in Hollywood currently buys you end credits.

I think they say that they get a million dollar developement deal, not necessarily get to make a million dollar movie.

Last night's episode was kind of a travesty. I enjoyed the first two installments enough, but they seem to be formatting the show like AMERICAN IDOL now, which is so much less interesting that the APPRENTICE model they first seemed to be following. There were really only three or four short films that were the least bit intereresting. Check them all out here:

http://www.thelot.com/contestants/

The better ones are Sam Friedlander, Zach Lipovsky, & Andrew Hunt.

I'm just bummed because my friend (and director of our upcoming release HOME SICK (plug plug)), Adam Wingard, was picked as one of the 50 folks and, well, he's not on the show anymore so I'm not going to bother watching it.

He told me some funny stories about his brief stint on the show (how they had to drive around in that damn Universal lot tram for 8 hours to get the shots they needed... how they were instructed to NOT speak to ANY ONE of their fellow contestants while on the tram... how, in the hotel, they weren't allowed any DVD players, personal MP3 players, pens/paper, etc.). He was barely visible on the first show (you could see brief glimpses of his head, and one shot of him walking with his hands in his pockets), but they NEVER had interviews with him or any close-ups because, he says, he didn't buy into the "fake" cheering and clapping that they were all supposed to do! He told me he was so NOT into the show after getting there that, when he was voted off, he actually shook the judges hands and thanked them for letting him go home! HAHAH! They didn't show THAT on the program, did they? LOL!

Anyway, ON THE LOT seems like it might be remotely interesting but, now that my friend is not on the show, I really don't feel like watching it anymore.

I didn't even know it had started airing but a friend of mine had recorded the first two episodes so last night we had a marathon viewing of all three to catch up. It wasn't an excruciating test of endurance, but it wasn't particularly pleasant either.

What few seem to be talking about is that it appears they skipped one of the episodes. At the end of the second show they had 24 contestants who were to have an hour to shoot a one page scene with a professional crew on a Hollywood set. They showed the very beginning of that train wreck scenario as they signed off from the second installment and then last nights episode just started with 18 contestants showing their 1 minute comedy shorts and very little mention of the last "challenge".

Apparently the ratings are so poor they decided to jump ahead to the episode that introduces the AMERICAN IDOL format in a last ditch effort to try to save it. I don't think it's going to help.

Oh and Richard, congratulations to you and the wife on the arrival of Victor!

BeAst WisheS -- L

Thanks... it's the only project I was able to see come to fruition this year!

The further along the show goes the more ridiculous the premise. The third episode where they kick off three out of the 18 remaining was a dirge. Nobody - but nobody - on this show has done anything remotely interesting unless you count the guy who's short film was a minute long one-shot 360 - everybody on the panel acts as if he's the second coming of Orson Wells. Okay, I know the timing for executing this shot is tricky but, my God, so what???

Most of the other short films in the "comedy" genre were about puking, peeing or farting...

Host Adrianna Costa has a kick ass bod - but that's about it. Maybe to boost ratings they should start having her wear less and less...

Adrianna Costa