Saturday, July 24, 2004

Search on for new Partridge Family
By BILL BRIOUX -- Toronto Sun

You know the press tour is over when the Partridge Family bus arrives.

The somewhat battered, multicoloured school bus was parked outside the 
Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles to help hype In Search Of The Partridge 
Family, a new reality show based on the early '70s series.

The premise: Original cast members David Cassidy, Danny Bonaduce and Shirley 
Jones help conduct a talent search for new Partridge Family cast members. 
After America votes, the new cast will shoot a scripted TV pilot and will 
eventually perform together as a band. The seven-episode series airs in 
America on VH1 starting this September (no word yet on a Canadian pickup).

Cassidy and Bonaduce, both looking trim and boyish for two dudes pushing 50, 
met the press yesterday. Both have penned tell-all autobiographies, leading 
to one question about Cassidy's romantic liaison with former co-star Susan 
Dey (Lori Partridge).

"After the show ended we dated a couple of times," said Cassidy. "I loved 
her like a sister ..."

"Well, that's gross," said Bonaduce.

The boys also spilled the beans about Dey's odd eating disorder. "One year 
Susan Dey stopped eating anything but carrots," said Bonaduce. "The woman 
turned orange."

Cassidy says he auditioned for the part of big brother Keith five times. He 
feels sorry for today's TV newcomers who have to "stand in a room in front 
of 15 or 20 people" and sway network and studio executives as well as 
producers.

The Partridge Family isn't the only TV classic getting a reality spin. 
Earlier this week, critics were pitched The Real Gilligan's Island, debuting 
in November on Turner network superstation TBS. Ten thousand people from 
across America applied to be either the Movie star, the Skipper, the 
Millionaire or any of the other original castaways. Seven winners will get 
dumped on an island with, as the song goes, "no phones no lights no motor 
cars, not a single luxury."

The idea to transform The Beverly Hillbillies into a reality show is still 
alive according to CBS boss Les Moonves. The idea was to take a real 
backwoods family out of Carolina, load up their truck and move them to a 
mansion in Beverly. Hills, that is.

CBS clammed up about the project after the South rose in protest (something 
about being made fools of for gawking at indoor plumbing), but we might 
still see a new Jethro and Ellie Mae out by the cement pond.

Finally, the press tour ended yesterday with a session saluting the 35th 
anniversary of The Brady Bunch. Original cast members Barry Williams, 
Maureen McCormack, Christopher Knight, Eve Plumb, Mike Lookinland and Susan 
Olsen were all wheeled on stage.

That's right, we're old. C'mon, get happy.




Jaimie Vernon,
President, Bullseye Records
http://www.bullseyecanada.com
Author, Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicPopEncycloPages