Austin360 blogs > TV Blog > Archives > 2004 > July > 02
Friday, July 2, 2004
Austinite fakes the video
First there were six, now there are two — one of whom is Austin resident Doug Long.
MTV’s “Faking the Video”, sort of a “Candid Camera” for the new generation, rocks to a conclusion at 9:30 p.m. on Monday with 21-year-old Long in contention for a prize he didn’t know he was competing for during filming.
Huh?
Here’s what happened: In the spring, six hopefuls thought they were hired to work as production assistants on a huge, career-break-of-a-lifetime music video to be shot in Los Angeles. They were told they would be working on a video featuring JC Chasez, Michelle Branch and Omarion on a new Diane Warren song.
But the whole thing was a hoax. The song, the crew and the artists were (you guessed it) faking the video. Improvisational actors were used as crew to test the production hopefuls to see which ones could endure the carefully choreographed shoot-from-hell.
With hidden cameras whirring, the half-dozen hopefuls were whittled down to the current two, including Long. He had no idea he was competing for a cash prize (of undetermined amount) and the chance to work with famed music video director Wayne Isham, who is not fake but real.
“I haven’t seen any episodes before their airdates, so I’m very excited to see how the last one turns out,” said Long, a theater major who recently graduated from the University of Texas.
Win or lose, Long says he wants to pursue a career in show biz.
“I’m trying my hardest to keep this ball rolling now that I have my foot in the door,” he said.
She’s back … but not for long!
NBC made a big deal of announcing that “Law & Order” co-star Elisabeth Rohm, who plays dull-as-dirt assistant district attorney Serena Southerlyn, will be returning next year.
The network made less of a big deal that she will not be back for the whole season. Perhaps that’s because the honchos knew there would not be a public outpouring of sorrow.
Of all the myriad cast members that have come and gone on “Law & Order” during its 15-year run, Rohm is by far the weakest. She’s stiff and lifeless on her good days, painfully distracting on her bad. During three seasons, she has marched along sounding as if she were reading cue cards.
Cast changes usually don’t make a bit of difference on “Law & Order” because plot is more important than character. But Rohm was a dud, and whoever replaces her is bound to be better. A stuffed doll would be better.
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