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Rdtf
CNO
Joined: 13 May 2004
Posts: 2209
Location: BUSHville
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 Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:30 pm Post subject: 'Over There' premieres tonight on FX channel |
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http://www.jsonline.com/enter/tvradio/nov04/279197.asp
| Quote: | FX boldly goes 'Over There'
By SCOTT COLLINS
Los Angeles Times
Posted: Nov. 28, 2004
Hollywood - In the first 18 months after the United States invaded Iraq, Hollywood didn't exactly scramble to dramatize the war. But that was before Steven Bochco reported for duty.
The TV producer, never one to shrink from controversy, has joined cable network FX - which itself has raised eyebrows with provocative dramas such as "The Shield," "Nip/Tuck" and "Rescue Me" - to create "Over There," a gory, profanity-laced, $4 million series pilot following six soldiers in Iraq and their families in the United States. The producers are casting the ensemble (probably with mostly unknown young actors) and are due to start shooting Jan. 7 in the desert - around the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita, not Baghdad.
Because "Over There" is still no more than a proposal for a series, there's no guarantee that viewers will ever see the result, although FX has ordered several scripts for additional episodes from Bochco and writer Chris Gerolmo ("Mississippi Burning"), with an eye toward a summer 2005 launch.
As the real war offers not just bitter controversy but dramatic and often harrowing daily accounts of urban combat, "Over There" is the kind of project that can keep a TV boss awake nights. Already, executives at 20th Century Fox Television, which is financing the series, have found themselves reassuring nervous buyers in Europe, where anti-war sentiment runs high.
And it is being developed at a time when the U.S. media landscape is crackling with politically charged controversies, ranging from media reports on the administration's rationale for going to war to a Veterans Day flap in which many ABC affiliates refused to air "Saving Private Ryan" because of concerns about government fines for the film's strong language.
Trying to transcend politics
Although "Over There" would air on basic cable, outside the reach of the federal indecency regulations that govern broadcast television, any attempt to dramatize the conflict carries the potential of arousing strong audience and advertiser reaction.
Bochco, 60, best known for ensemble legal and cop dramas such as "Hill Street Blues," "L.A. Law" and "NYPD Blue," recently said that "Over There" would transcend politics by focusing on the universal theme of soldiers fighting overseas and the strain that puts on their families back home.
He admitted that when FX executives pitched him the idea this year, he initially begged off.
"I said, 'It's such a politically polarizing conflict, I don't know how you do it without politics being front and center.'
"Then, as we talked about it, I realized there was a simple way to do the show without any political agenda whatsoever. It's not just over there, it's over here," he said. "It's about any war in which your loved ones are in harm's way."
He added: "One of the things I've always prided myself on is that whatever my own politics may be, I don't think they've leached into my work. And I think that's appropriate."
A potential minefield
But while it may be intended as a grunt's-eye view of the war, "Over There" nevertheless presses plenty of political hot buttons. An early copy of the script obtained by the Los Angeles Times shows one Arab prisoner of war taunting American soldiers by referring to the Abu Ghraib prison-torture scandals.
"Do you have a bag for my head yet?" the youth asks sarcastically. "Do you want me to take my clothes off now?" In another scene, an Army sergeant bitterly complains that the Pentagon brass are more worried about "(expletive) public relations" than troop safety.
One female soldier terrified of dying in combat alludes to a "Nightline" program last spring in which anchor Ted Koppel read the names of troops killed in Iraq; some ABC stations refused to air that broadcast, contending it was politically motivated. The centerpiece of the pilot is a bloody firefight around a sandstorm-shrouded mosque.
The timing of the project makes it likely that Bochco will face plenty of skeptics. Television veteran Larry Gelbart, who more than 30 years ago developed the Korean War comedy "M*A*S*H," questioned the wisdom of making a series about Iraq while the war continues.
"Why not let a little time go by?" asked Gelbart, who said he hasn't read any of the scripts for "Over There." "I think the idea of making a piece of commercial TV at a time when the actual conflict is going on blurs the lines."
No bias, FX says
Gelbart also noted irony in "Over There" being backed by FX, which is controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Murdoch's Fox News Channel features on-air personalities, such as Neil Cavuto and John Gibson, who have been supportive of the Bush administration and harshly critical of those opposed to the war. (News Corp., it should be noted, also owns the studio that made "M*A*S*H.")
But FX says the corporate connection has no bearing on the Bochco project.
"I would defy someone to say there's either a liberal or conservative bias" in "Over There," said FX entertainment president John Landgraf.
"Over There" isn't Hollywood's first project dealing with U.S.-led military campaigns in the Persian Gulf. Several feature films, including 1996's "Courage Under Fire," 1999's "Three Kings" and this year's remake of "The Manchurian Candidate," all had key action set during the first Persian Gulf War.
And next month, "American Beauty" filmmaker Sam Mendes will start shooting "Jarhead," a Marine story set during the '91 war and based on Anthony Swofford's bestseller.
The Iraq war that started in March 2003 has generated only a smattering of scripted projects. ABC, for example, this year developed a program called "Devil Docs," which was based on CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta's reporting on doctors in Iraqi war zones. But the show never made it to the network's fall schedule.
FX willing to take risks
HBO, meanwhile, reportedly is developing a limited series based on "The Killer Elite," journalist Evan Wright's award-winning reports in Rolling Stone magazine about a special Marine unit driving toward Baghdad during the war's early days.
But the continuing instability in Iraq and the political passions it has aroused have made many network executives leery of the subject matter.
"No one knows what's going to happen six months from now, and there's so much opinion pro and con," said one TV script agent. "It would be like writing (a TV show) about Vietnam when we're still in Vietnam."
That doesn't deter Bochco, who says he's looking to capture a war experience that "transcends specific events."
"I don't think what happens in Iraq in the next six to 12 months will render what we're doing dated or factually wrong," he said.
Conceding that Iraq isn't a topic for the "faint of heart," Landgraf says FX's programming strategy necessarily means taking big chances. The network hopes its original series will accomplish what shows such as "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" did for HBO.
"What was FX four years ago? We were nobody's favorite cable channel, . . . " Landgraf said. "We've gotten where we've gotten by taking risks."
Los Angeles Times staff writer Rachel Abramowitz contributed to this report |
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coldwarvet
Admiral
Joined: 03 Jun 2004
Posts: 1125
Location: Minnetonka, MN
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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I do not trust Hollywood to portray our soldiers honestly. I would feel much better about it if it was a Mel Gibson production.
CWV
_________________
Defender of the honor of those in harms way keeping us out of harms way.
"Peace is our Profession"
Strategic Air Command - Motto
USAF 75-79 Security Police |
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Rdtf
CNO
Joined: 13 May 2004
Posts: 2209
Location: BUSHville
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:39 pm Post subject: |
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| coldwarvet wrote: | I do not trust Hollywood to portray our soldiers honestly. I would feel much better about it if it was a Mel Gibson production.
CWV |
Of course! But I am going to give them a chance and watch tonight. Would be a shame if Bochco does the right thing and we miss it. |
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LewWaters
Admin
Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 4042
Location: Washington State
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:46 pm Post subject: |
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Bocho was on Foxnews last night discussing this new program. Of course, he stated there was no bias in the story at all, but that anyone pre-disposed to any thought line would see what they want in it.
Like others, I don't trust Hollywood much. I'd be very surprised if this program is honest and shows the bravery and heroics of our Military.
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Rdtf
CNO
Joined: 13 May 2004
Posts: 2209
Location: BUSHville
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 12:02 am Post subject: |
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well here ya have it-
http://newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Steven_Bochco.php
| Quote: | Steven Bochco
producer, writer $30,500 Democrat
$208 special interest
total: $30,708
KERRY, JOHN F (D)
President
KERRY VICTORY 2004 $10,000
primary 06/14/04
Bochco, Steven
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Bochco Prod./Owner KERRY, JOHN F (D)
President
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC $2,000
primary 03/18/04
Bochco, Steven
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Self employed/Writer and Producer CLARK, WESLEY K (D)President
CLARK FOR PRESIDENT INC $2,000
primary 09/30/03
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90035
STEVEN BOCHCO PRODUCTIONS LICHT, RICHARD A (D)
Senate - RI
LICHT 2000 COMMITTEE $1,000
primary 06/01/99
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
PRODUCER GORDON, BARRY (D)
House (CA 27)
BARRY GORDON FOR CONGRESS $1,000
general 10/26/98
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
PRODUCER GORDON, BARRY (D)
House (CA 27)
BARRY GORDON FOR CONGRESS $1,000
primary 03/30/98
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
STEVEN BOCHCO GORDON, BARRY (D)
House (CA 27)
BARRY GORDON FOR CONGRESS $1,000
primary 08/23/95
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
STEVEN BOCHCO PRODUCTIONS ROBB, CHARLES S (D)
Senate - VA
ROBB FOR THE SENATE $1,000
general 07/13/94
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
20TH CENTURY FOX
DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE (D) $2,000
primary 10/22/92
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
PRODUCER FEINSTEIN, DIANNE (D)
Senate - CA
VOICES FOR CHANGE '92 $2,500
primary 09/01/92
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
STEVEN BOCHCO PRODUCTION BOXER, BARBARA (D)
Senate - CA
BARBARA BOXER FOR U S SENATE $1,000
general 06/11/92
BOCHCO, STEVEN
PACIFIC PALISADES, CA 90272
ROHNER AND WALERSTEIN BOXER, BARBARA (D)
Senate - CA
BARBARA BOXER FOR U S SENATE $1,000
primary 02/28/92
BOCHCO, STEVEN MR
BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90035
STEVEN BOCHCO PRODUCTIONS PELL, CLAIBORNE (D)
Senate - RI
RE-ELECT SENATOR PELL COMMITTEE $1,000
primary 07/20/90
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
WRITER PRODUCER DIRECTOR
HOLLYWOOD WOMEN'S POLITICAL COMMITTEE $208
primary 09/20/89
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90035
PRODUCER/WRITER CRANSTON, ALAN SENATOR (D)
Senate - DC
CRANSTON FOR SENATE '92 INC $1,000
primary 05/05/89
BOCHCO, STEVEN
LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
20TH CENTURY FOX METZENBAUM, HOWARD M (D)
Senate - OH
VOICES FOR CHANGE '88 $3,000
primary 10/11/88
Data Provided by the Federal Election Commission as of 7/25/05 -- 11,754,216 records |
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dusty
Admiral
Joined: 27 Aug 2004
Posts: 1264
Location: East Texas
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:37 am Post subject: |
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In light of this information it's going to be interesting to see how he maintains neutrality in the show. Personally I would not like to see neutrality but a decided bias favoring our troops. But I will be real surprised if that's what I see.
Dusty |
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Navy_Navy_Navy
Admin
Joined: 07 May 2004
Posts: 5777
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 2:07 am Post subject: |
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| dusty wrote: | | Personally I would not like to see neutrality but a decided bias favoring our troops. But I will be real surprised if that's what I see. |
I'm with you 100% on that. I want to see nothing less.
It'd be a shock to the system, but I would get behind it! (I'll have to go check and see if we get that channel. 200+ channels here and nothing ever on television!  )
Anyone remember the one or two-season series here a few years back called "Home Front?" All about how one family and their circle of friends and acquaintances got through WWII?
I would LOVE to see something that well-written and produced about this war.
Or even bring back that series. I'm sure it was sentimentalized beyond belief, but I'm past caring that I am somewhat of a sentimental sap - I'm a woman, so I'm allowed, hm? 
Thanks for alerting us - hope I can watch this. If I can't then I'll bug you for AAR's!!!!
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother |
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Rdtf
CNO
Joined: 13 May 2004
Posts: 2209
Location: BUSHville
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 2:22 am Post subject: |
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| Well in the first 20 minutes they have already covered major issues like bureacracy sucks, women in combat and racial issues. Oh boy. |
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Rdtf
CNO
Joined: 13 May 2004
Posts: 2209
Location: BUSHville
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:18 pm Post subject: |
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It was a horrible load of crap that made our soldiers look like idiots. I turned it off. 
The Sargeant was a screaming angry man from the very beginning because his tour was extended 3 months, and angrily mentioned how the Generals would keep them out there in the midst of the fire fight for political reasons too long. And the constant reference to 'the women' that were caught out in the battle with them and what should we do with 'the women' was a bit much. Even showed a soldier feeling it was necessary to help one of the women dig a hole, and she kept telling him to stop she could do it herself. Dig a hole?! Then of course they have the black soldier trying to incite another black soldier into racial anger over the 'brother' playing in a white man's world.
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coldwarvet
Admiral
Joined: 03 Jun 2004
Posts: 1125
Location: Minnetonka, MN
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:32 pm Post subject: |
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http://www.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1229&highlight=hollywood
We discussed Hollywood at length last summer. Hollywood can't even wait until this war is over to begin stripping the honor and dignity from our soldiers.
_________________
Defender of the honor of those in harms way keeping us out of harms way.
"Peace is our Profession"
Strategic Air Command - Motto
USAF 75-79 Security Police |
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Rdtf
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dusty
Admiral
Joined: 27 Aug 2004
Posts: 1264
Location: East Texas
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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Stongly reminded me of the crap that we got to watch during the Vietnam conflict that helped turn the tide of public opinion against that war.
Divisivness instead of togetherness. Hollyweird has no concept of Espirit de Corps. What it means or what it is. Pretty poor lack of understanding of Patriotism too.
I guess it was too much to hope for.
And don't forget, this was the first one. Dollars to doughnuts it gets much worse.
Dusty
Last edited by dusty on Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:46 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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coldwarvet
Admiral
Joined: 03 Jun 2004
Posts: 1125
Location: Minnetonka, MN
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:44 pm Post subject: |
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| dusty wrote: | Stongly reminded me of the crap that we got to watch during the Vietnam conflict that helped turn the tide of public opinion against that war.
Divisivness instead of togetherness. Hollyweird has no concept of Espirit de Corps. What is means or what it is. Pretty poor lack of understanding of Patriotism too.
I guess it was too much to hope for.
And don't forget, this was the first one. Dollars to doughnuts it gets much worse.
Dusty |
Great commentaries we must not stand down we are the defenders of the honor of this generation of troops.
_________________
Defender of the honor of those in harms way keeping us out of harms way.
"Peace is our Profession"
Strategic Air Command - Motto
USAF 75-79 Security Police |
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Snipe
Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined: 03 Jun 2004
Posts: 574
Location: Peoria, Illinois
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 2:54 pm Post subject: |
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Gee. Sounds like I just gotta record it on DVD for future reference.
I couldn't do it last night because it conflicted with DragonBall Z
(uncut) on Cartoon Network, and the Saturday airing will conflict
with Zatch Bell, also on Cartoon Network. That leaves Sunday evening
when there's nothing else on.
From the responses thus far, it looks like cartoon network has better
stuff on it than FX. Of course, that's why I collect violent Japanese
Anime for the grandkids (and myself). It leaves me in a better mood
than the garbage that passes for entertainment on American television.
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Armybrat/Armymom
Commander
Joined: 27 Aug 2004
Posts: 335
Location: Central Texas
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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| There are times when I am thankful that I don't have cable. This is definitely one of them. |
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