Ben Silverman has been handed a Herculean task, to drag General Electric Co's (NYSE: GE) NBC network out of the ratings basement. The entertainment co-chairman has begun his reign by buying the rights to the Colombian television hit, "Without Breasts There is No Paradise" ("Sin Tetas No Hay Parasio").The series, based on a Latin America hit novel of the same name by Gustavo Bolívar Morenao, follows the adventures of a young hooker involved with a drug dealer, and her pursuit of implants as her ticket out of her seamy world. Silverman was also the producer that anglicized the world hit Ugly Betty for the American screen.
Silverman has been quoted as bragging that his reality shows are uplifting, a sobriquet that might also be applied to this show. As Slate magazine reminds us, Silverman also vowed that NBC would be about quality programming. It seems appropriate here to note that quality is an ambiguous word – for example, a lemon/liver shake-up is a quality beverage, and that quality is nauseating.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-10-2007 @ 3:29PM
Senator Gunzenhauser said...
Eek! Is this Ben Silverman or Fred Silverman circa '79 we're talking about? What's next, "SuperTramp"?
7-10-2007 @ 3:31PM
Bruce E Warnock said...
We are retired folks and GE is the largest investment in our retirement holdings. We look back at the year 2000 and a stock price of $60 with dismay.
GE needs to look at its top management, such as Jeff Immelt, as the company has languished since Jack Welch retired. No board should allow this malaise to continue so long. GE also needs to separate the positions of CEO and Chairman of the Board, but has resisted doing so.
I support spinning off those operations that do not fit into GE's great infrastructure offerings, and that includes NBC.
7-11-2007 @ 11:42AM
j.c. said...
based on what i know of silverman he is a typical hollywood jerk...."my people will get a meeting with your people"....unbelieveable that there isn't better talent available in the entertainment industry. i guess its like the fashion industry--you don't have to be smart or rational to pick the next hot item that people will want. good luck GE