 |
People News
Ratings News
Scheduling News
Application News
Spoiler News
Show Updates Features & Interviews Image Gallery Message Boards Shows Listing |
 |
|
HOME
>
RealityTVDB
>
The Simple Life
The Simple LifeThe Simple Life (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
The Simple Life is a reality television series broadcast on Fox from December 2, 2003. The comedic show depicts two wealthy young socialites (Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie) as they struggle to do manual, low-paying jobs such as cleaning rooms, doing farm work, serving meals in fast-food restaurants and working as camp counsellors. Show HistoryBeginningsThe idea for The Simple Life was generated in Fox's comedy department. Brad Johnson, senior VP of comedy development, said The Simple Life was born out of a challenge from Fox Television Entertainment Group Chairman Sandy Grushow and News Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Chernin to find another way to do comedies outside of the traditional sitcom format. An initial goal in developing the show would be to combine the "stupid" aspects of MTV's Jackass, with the "boring" elements that are associated with David Blaine publicity stunts. This "stupid/boring" mantra was a key goal in the production of the series."The areas that seemed simplest and cleanest was to go back to those high-concept '60s sitcoms and say let's do them for real," Mr. Johnson said. The Simple Life was inspired by Green Acres, a sitcom about a New York society couple who moved to a farm. Mr. Johnson said they originally thought of moving an entire family to the South. Cameras would observe as the former socialites, deprived of access to their bank accounts and Beemers, attempt to get a job, buy groceries and fit in with average Americans. At the same time the comedy department was developing the idea, Paris Hilton was meeting with the studio's casting department. Sharon Klein, senior VP of casting at the studio, said she was immediately fascinated by Ms. Hilton and wanted to do a show with her. "I'm used to meeting with actors who are putting on a facade," Ms. Klein said. "She was so real. She was funny. At that first meeting she did not come off stupid. She was in her own reality and not embarrassed to talk about it. There was a sweetness to her." The two departments talked and realized they had their show: Send Paris Hilton and her sister Nicky, who had never worked a day in their lives, to live and work on a farm. At the time, the studio was working closely with Mike Darnell, head of reality programming at Fox, who liked the idea. "They wanted to see stilettos in cow shit," Ms. Klein said. Paris was convinced to come on board, however Nicky, being somewhat shy to the limelight at the time, opted out. Paris told some media that she was in talks to do the show by herself, but ultimately, Fox decided the city-living cast had to be a duo. Paris allegedly asked several close friends on board, including Bijou Phillips and Kimberly Stewart, and ended up making the agreement with Nicole Richie. Fox hired established reality producer Bunim/Murray to produce. Bunim/Murray found the Leding family in Altus, Arkansas, for Paris and Nicole to move in with. A band known as The Penfifteen Club recorded one of the show's themes, a tribute song called "Miss Hilton". Production began May 2, 2003. Fox CancellationBunim/Murray originally had plans to send the cast on a trip to Mexico in its fourth season, but plans were quickly put on hold, and rearranged. In an interview with USA Today, Paris confirmed the longstanding rumor that Nicole and herself were no longer friends by that time, and that Nicole would not be part of the fourth season. Plans at this point were now to shoot on the Hawaiian island of Maui.Instead, said Paris, the new co-star would be Paris's friend Kimberly Stewart, the daughter of rocker Rod Stewart, and someone Paris had wanted on the show to begin with. Kimberly said that producers would attempt to mollify Nicole by giving her a new reality show of her own, a Newlyweds-styled effort focused on her then-upcoming wedding to Adam Goldstein, known professionally as DJ AM. Fox was quick to debunk what Paris and Kimberly had said. Fox Network head Peter Ligouri told the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles that Paris and Nicole were actually both contracted for another two seasons. Kimberly was not going to be involved at all, and Paris and Nicole are, in his words "TV professionals, who will be ready to work together when the time comes." Fox then unexpectedly canceled its plans for any further seasons of the The Simple Life in October 2005, both because it had filled its mid season show quota, and because Paris and Nicole had the falling out as friends. Picked up by E!After it was dropped by Fox, other networks, such as NBC, The WB, VH1 and MTV were all reported to be interested in obtaining the rights to air new seasons of the show. On November 28, 2005, E! announced that they had picked up The Simple Life and had ordered production go ahead on the fourth season, along with the rights to re-air the first three seasons. Shooting for the new season finally began February 27, 2006.The Fifth Season ComplicationsDespite the fact that the stars of the show had sorted out their differences and agreed to shoot the season together, the fifth season had many complications during production. It was originally set to begin production in November 2006 and air in March 2007 but was put on temporary hold, as Nicole had to enter a health care facility for her ongoing weight issues."Production resumed as of March 2, 2007, however more complications arose. Both Paris and Nicole faced major charges for DUI, and were at risk of serving jail time. Paris was sentenced to 23 days in jail, though this was after production of the season had finished. Nicole accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to 4 days in jail, again thankfully after production had wrapped. During some early shooting days, Nicole complained of illness. After she was examined by the on-set doctor she was taken to a nearby hospital where she received intravenous fluids for 15 minutes before being released. This incident set production behind schedule. Courtney Love described Paris's birthday party on her website as having a "big pile of white powder" in the bathroom. It was thought the description of the incident, which took place on the eve of the Oscars, might have cost Paris and Nicole the new season. Despite all the problems, the shooting of the season finished in time and the season actually premiered earlier than otherwise expected. E! Cancellation & Possible FutureNicole confirmed on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles that she signed a contract for a sixth and seventh season of the show.In an interview on Larry King Live, Paris confirmed that she and Nicole will start shooting Season 6 by the end of 2007. "In a couple of months" in her own words. Despite the initial hopes for continuation, E! announced they had cancelled the show on July 30, 2007, due to personal problems overshadowing the show. Another network may pick up the series, MTV being a strong possibility. E! networks final statement: "The Simple Life has been a wonderful addition to the E! Schedule for two years and we will always be grateful to Paris and Nicole for their hard work and graciousness." While E! has cancelled The Simple Life, series producer Twentieth Century Fox refuses to say the franchise is a goner. The company is holding out hope another network may pick it up for another go-round, in the same way E! did in 2005 after Fox dropped the show. However, any new incarnation may not feature Paris and Nicole. Paris herself made a statement at the premiere of Rush Hour 3 saying "It's been a great five years and we had so much fun, but I'm happy to end it at that." suggesting she has opted out of any continuation of the series. It appears Nicole will also be unavailable to shoot any further episodes of the show, having just announced her pregnancy and wanting to focus on her family in future. A possible spin-off to air on E! featuring Kelly Osbourne and, ironically, Kimberly Stewart was recently not picked up. A show featuring Kim Kardashian and her family is set to air as a replacement. SeasonsThe First SeasonSee The Simple Life (season 1) for more informationIn the first season, Paris and Nicole agreed to leave behind their cellphones, credit cards and celebrity status to move in with the Leding family in Altus, Arkansas for a month. What was supposed to be an experiment in learning how to adapt to doing chores and getting their hands dirty turned out to be a failure. In the process they would ruin a dairy farmer's milk supply, wreak havoc at a local Sonic Drive-In and take advantage of an employer's credit card, ultimately getting fired from every job they took up. This was greatly upsetting to the Leding family. Despite all of this, the two would often get a reality check from the family themselves. Whether Paris and Nicole took it to heart remains to be seen. The show started airing on Fox December 2, 2003, to surprisingly well received ratings. The premiere episode drew 13 million viewers, increasing Fox's Adults 18-49 rating a phenomenal 79%. The second episode drew 13.3 million viewers, an increase of 200,000 viewers over its premiere. During the airing of the series, Fox added two extra episodes and a reunion special, which continued to draw ratings. With results like this, it was only natural that Fox would order a second season. The DVD of this season was released in U.S. on January 20, 2004. Some international releases included the bonus episode and the reunion episode. Road TripSee The Simple Life 2: Road Trip for more informationA second season, subtitled Road Trip, began broadcasting in the summer of 2004. In this season, Paris and Nicole traveled across the United States in a pink pickup truck (driven by Paris), pulling an airstream trailer. They participated in such activities as catching crayfish, working as maids in a nudist resort, and sausage-making. The premiere episode (drawing 9.8 million overall viewers) showcased Hilton's horseback-riding accident, which made headlines when they were still filming. The ratings continued to climb during the season, and Fox was quick to announce heading into production on Season 3, not before airing a special episode titled The Simple Life - The Stuff We Weren't Allowed To Show You on November 17, 2004. The special showcased several cut scenes from the season (some of which appear on the Season 2 DVD) as well as preview clips for the third season. The DVD of this season was released in U.S. on November 2, 2004. A CD-soundtrack for this season was also released. InternsSee The Simple Life 3: Interns for more informationThe third season, began shooting October 27, 2004. The first episode premiered January 26, 2005. The third season, subtitled Interns, would see Paris and Nicole take various internships with companies along the East Coast of the United States. Paris and Nicole traveled around the northeast United States via the Greyhound Bus company's publicly available bus routes. But unlike season 2, this time around Paris and Nicole did not have a swanky home on wheels and instead were travelling around the northeast in a regular Greyhound bus that was also ferrying normal members of the public that are travelling to the same destination. The season featured one memorable encounter with twin baby orangutans from Parrot Jungle Island in Miami, Florida. Nicole Richie's fiance DJ Adam Goldstein also appeared in this season when he surprised Nicole and took her on a date. In this season, there were episodes where they were given little or no money while interning, or their internships were shortened because instead of being professional, they would goof off or fail to do the work properly. The episode Mortuary was set in a funeral home. It drew minor controversy among viewers because Paris and Nicole struggled with unloading a casket from a hearse, then spilling cremated ashes on the floor and using a vacuum to clean it up. The show's producers claimed the casket was empty and the "human ashes" was just a stage prop made of cement and cat litter.. In the last episode of the season, there was no party shown with friends or family. Instead, they were hounded by paparazzi, one of the final times the two were seen together on good terms for quite some time. The DVD of this season was released in U.S. on March 19, 2006. 'Til Death Do Us PartSee The Simple Life 4: 'Til Death Do Us Part for more informationThe fourth season premiered on June 4, 2006, drawing 1.3 million viewers. While those ratings would have been dismal for Fox, it was actually more than four times E!"s prime-time average. And in key adult demographic groups, ratings more than tripled from the network"s average. The season features Paris and Nicole playing "Wife" to a different family every episode, in a similar manner to Wife Swap. Paris and Nicole alternate between the family each episode, with the family then deciding which of them was better in the role. This season was also unique, as Paris and Nicole did not leave L.A. The families they stayed with were L.A area residents, and the episodes often focused on Paris and Nicole's personal lives and careers as well as the challenge of being a wife and mother. This season also featured guest appearances from Paris and Nicole's well-known friends, family and associates. Since the season was set in their hometowns, Paris and Nicole had cell phone and credit card usage, previously denied to them in earlier seasons. The season finale ended with Paris confronting Nicole, stating "We have to talk", and Nicole answering "Then talk...", followed by a screen that read "To be continued... next season!" Many viewers were shocked and angry over this cliffhanger ending. On Thursday, July 28, 2006, several E! series were added to the iTunes Music Store. Among these series was The Simple Life Seasons 1 and 4. The DVD of this season was released on December 26, 2006. Goes to CampSee The Simple Life 5: Goes to Camp for more informationIt was announced on October 9, 2006 that Paris and Nicole had rekindled their friendship and had agreed to shoot the fifth season of The Simple Life together. In an interview with Australian Cosmopolitan magazine in January, 2007, Paris confirmed The Simple Life will resume shooting in March, 2007, in Malibu, California. The tentative title for the season was Malibu: Camp Simple Life, but later adjusted to The Simple Life Goes to Camp. Paris explained how she and Nicole will be counselors for multiple camps, including, but not restricted to, a beauty pageant camp, a fat camp and a couples camp. It was subsequently confirmed that The Simple Life Goes to Camp has Paris and Nicole working as counselors at Camp Shawnee, a fictional camp on the site of an actual camp, Camp JCA Shalom. The camp will be host to five different specialty groups: Wellness Camp, Pageant Camp, Couples Camp, Survival Camp and Drama Camp. The campers are not the camp's real campers, and at least one of the counselors, Hunter Cross, admits he is an actor who auditioned for the role. Also, the camp nurse is an actress according to IMDB. One of the campers (the high maitnence girl who quit the camp early) from survival camp was also seen on an Oust air freshener commercial. In fact, the only "real" people from Camp JCA Shalom to appear on the show are Jorge, the camp chef, and Julia, the camp dog. The season premiere was on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2007, and the show began its normal Sunday night timeslot the following week on E!. EpisodesSee List of The Simple Life episodes for more informationRemakes and rip-offsParis and Nicole's rural misadventures on The Simple Life have proved so popular with viewers that Fox World has produced international versions for overseas television. While Paris's international counterparts aren't hotel heiresses, they are relatively rich and well-known in their home countries, and the plots of the remakes tend to be the same. So far, at least nine official remakes have been produced:
Some other international markets, such as Japan, chose to subtitle or dub the original rather than produce a remake. The Simple Life has also been emulated by other less-official remakes. A good example of another reality series is E!'s Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive, which shared various unquestionable similarities with The Simple Life. It has also been said that The Simple Life has inspired other works such as Cow Belles and Material Girls; movies with very similar premises. Paris has released her own reality show. Titled This Is Paris, it focused more around her personal life, and the recording of her debut album, very much in the vein of In Bed With Madonna. It aired on MTV on August 8, 2006 and on VH1 on August 9, 2006. The rumours of Nicole set to have her own show about her romance and wedding planning with DJ AM were put to rest by Nicole herself, when she said she would never do a reality show about her personal life. The couple is also no longer together. Ever since plans to appear in The Simple Life fell through, Kimberly Stewart has been working on her own reality series. The series pilot, titled Win Your Life Back features Kimberly taking favourite personal belongings off two teams of young female contestants, and putting them through challenges to win their belongings back. Whichever team wins back the most belongings would win a $100,000 shopping spree. The pilot has been presented to MTV, but it is not yet known if it has been picked up. In 2005, NBC produced a reality series titled I Want To Be a Hilton. I Want To Be a Hilton took the idea of The Simple Life, and reversed it. Hosted by Kathy Hilton, Paris' mom, the show saw several contestants from rural country and suburban areas having to perform certain tasks ranging from dog grooming to a fashion show and organizing a charity event, while learning etiquette and manners. The finalist of the competition received a prize package that included a $200,000 trust fund, a new apartment, wardrobe and the opportunity to live the life of high society for one year. Paris and Nicky guest starred in an episode, and Paris's dog Tinkerbell (who appeared in The Simple Life) also took part.
|
|
|
|