Outwit, outplay, outprogram
Mark Burnett expects the first line of his obituary to read: “Found the American Dream.”
“Think about it,” says the British-born Burnett, the mastermind behind “Survivor,” “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” and “The Apprentice.”
“I came here with 200 bucks, no education, and was given a chance because, in America, everyone gets a chance.”
Burnett’s latest reality-TV endeavor is “Jingles,” an hour-long series set to premiere on CBS later this year.
Eight teams vie to create the best ditties for commercials. The winners get $100,000 and, perhaps, jobs with an advertising agency.
Q. Tell me about “Jingles.”
A. We can all remember (sings): “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” “Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco treat.” “Folgers in your cup.” “I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys ’R’ Us kid.” These are all incredible jingles. Well, here’s a show with eight teams and a sponsor. The sponsor will come in and present – “Here is what we’re looking for, here is what this product stands for. Go out there and create a jingle that would be the sound of this campaign.”
Q. Down the road, do you think the impact you’ve had on television will be assessed as positive, negative or a combination?
A. Very, very positive. It can only be. “Survivor” really changed the model, and “Survivor” broke almost a monopoly for scripted work on television. Now, I’m not saying that nonscripted TV should replace anything, but a very healthy prime-time lineup would be an equal smattering of news, sports, nonfiction, comedies and dramas.
Q. You also make shows families can watch together.
A. That is very important to me. I’m married to Roma Downey from “Touched by an Angel.” Roma says, “Don’t make anything our kids wouldn’t be allowed to see.” Quite frankly, I made a lot of money and success catering to families, so I’m really proud to hear you say that.
Q. What kind of “Survivor” contestant would you be?
A. I’d be really good at suffering. I don’t like whining. I don’t. But I’d probably get voted off because I would lead from the front. No one does well by leading from the front on “Survivor.” In normal real life, you don’t just vote someone off. It takes a while for them to get on your nerves properly. In “Survivor,” every three days they get to say “you’re done.” So very few people can lead from the front.
The birthday bunch
Actor Peter O’Toole is 76. Director Wes Craven is 69. Singer Kathy Lennon (The Lennon Sisters) is 65. Actress Joanna Cassidy is 63. Actress Kathryn Harrold is 58. Singer Andrew Gold is 57. Actor Butch Patrick (“The Munsters”) is 55. Actress Victoria Jackson is 49. Actress Mary-Louise Parker is 44. Director-actor Kevin Smith (“Clerks,” “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”) is 38. Actor Edward Furlong is 31. Actress Hallie Eisenberg is 16.