Fox's "On the Lot": A Moving Tribute to Flop Sweat and Tears

I could on go and on about how much I like Fox's new reality show On the Lot where aspiring filmmakers compete for a $1 million deal with Steve Spielberg's DreamWorks. The hour-long premiere was a moving tribute to pit-staining flop sweat and salty tears of rejection. Sure, like all reality shows, Lot played fast and loose with the facts, with host Chelsea Handler (and Stacey Snider look-a-like?) welcoming contestatns to "the real Hollywood." Then there was the moment when they called the Biltmore hotel the birthplace of the Academy Awards (Uh, wouldn't that be the Roosevelt Hotel?) Or when they called Brett Ratner a "film legend" (now that's a real stretch, but the show went great lengths to demonstrate how much the contestants respected The Rat). But whatever. Suspend all disbelief and it somehow works.

Unlike its progenitor Project Greenlight, this show really played up the contestants as wide-eyed fans of mainstream Hollywood. A boy, were these folks painfully naive and game to kill themselves over the inane timed tests that have become a mainstream staple in "unscripted television" (which is another one of those Hollywood lies). Last night, the contestants had to pitch a movie idea to the panel of judges--Carrie Fisher (famously funny screenwriter and Princess Leia), Garry Marshall (director of Pretty Woman) and The Rat (Rush Hour director and lover of ladies). The excercise produced a number of stomach-clenching moments as many of the contestants went all wet brain when put on the spot. But the drama is just ramping up. The contestants who weren't eliminated were put on teams of three and are in the process of making a short film in 24 hours. Already some are showing that they have the right ego for show-biz (what's up with that big dude with the earring who keeps trying to physically intimidate his teammates?). Stay tuned. Next installment is this Thursday night.