Roundups #48: Ellen's Game Of Games Makes Its Free-To-Air Debut On eReality, Vice TV Calls Its Quits For Dark Side Of The Ring And Disney Junior Announce Four New Series

Ellen is now on eReality

Earlier in the year, the controversial talk show host wrapped production of Game Of Games which was currently seen on M-Net saw contestants play in one of four preliminary games. The winner
of each game advances to the semi-final round for a chance to win $100,000.

Through several ads, it was confirmed that the cancelled game show would be made available to eReality from the 29th May at 6pm - eMedia basically proved MultiChoice's hypothesis with them duplicating their offering.

 

 

Dark Side Of The Ring canned???

The news comes as a bit of a surprise, as Dark Side of the Ring had become the most-watched series in Vice's history. Its third season was even given a supersized order of 14 episodes, up from the 10 given to season 2 and only six episodes for season 1. The docuseries had also garnered acclaim from critics and viewers.

Meltzer claims that the series was likely canceled due to controversy stemming from season 3. In particular, the "Plane Ride from Hell" episode had drawn some criticism as there were "inconsistencies" in some stories told, perhaps with wrestlers mixing up details from that infamous plane ride with others that had happened around that time.

 

The producers are teaming up with Dwayne Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions to develop a new wrestling-based docuseries for the network. It is said to follow the territory days of pro wrestling that were around before Vince McMahon's WWF (now WWE) completely changed the business in the 1980s.

Disney Junior greenlit four series

Disney Junior has unveiled new original content, including four series and two shorts, that will be launching across the preschool channel and Disney+ through 2024.

Hey A.J., based on the books by Martellus Bennett, is produced by LA-based Surfing Giant Studios in association with Disney Junior. The series features seven-year-old girl A.J., who uses her imagination to find excitement in ordinary activities. Bennett, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh and Michael Hodges will serve as EPs.

 

The kidscaster is also teaming up with Dublin-based Brown Bag Films on Robogobo. The series follows a group of adopted pets who become superheroes with the help of robo-suits from a kid inventor named Jax. Robogobo is being developed for TV by Matt Hoverman, who is also a co-EP and story editor, while creator Chris Gilligan also serves as an EP and supervising director.

LA-based Oddbot Entertainment will bring Broadway to the classroom with Kindergarten: The Musical, a co-pro with Disney Junior. The series enters the world of five-year-old Birdy who tackles everyday challenges by expressing her emotions through musical numbers. Creators Michelle Lewis and Charlton Pettus will serve as EPs along with ​​Tom Warburton, Kay Hanley, and Dan Petty. Co-EP Laurie Israel is also attached as story editor.

The kidcaster is also co-producing SuperKitties with New York- and London-based Silvergate Media to tell the story of four superhero kittens who take on bad guys and hope to make Kittydale a “pawesome” place. Creator Paula Rosenthal will serve as EP with Kirk Van Wormer attached as co-EP.

The Alleged Real Life Story Of DreamWorks Shrek

Voiced by Mike Myers, Shrek is the reluctant hero of the 2001 fairy tale comedy of the same name, which was based on a children's book by William Steig about a brutish ogre with a distinctive look. Although Dreamworks, the production company behind Shrek, has neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, many believe that Shrek was inspired by a French wrestler from the 1930s and '40s named Maurice Tillet. You have to admit, it is kind of uncanny.

The French Angel
Maurice Tillet was born in 1903 in Russia to French parents who soon moved back to France to raise their son. By all accounts, he had a relatively normal childhood with no major health issues. In fact, he had such a cherubic face that he earned the nickname "The French Angel " in the course of his wrestling career, but wrestling wasn't always Tillet's dream. He initially hoped to become a lawyer. That all changed, however, shortly after his 20th birthday.

 

 

Tillet And Acromegaly
As he entered his twenties, Tillet started to notice unusual swelling in his hands, feet, and head. When the issue persisted, Tillet sought medical attention, and after running a battery of tests, the doctor gave Tillet a chilling diagnosis: He had acromegaly.

What Is Acromegaly?
Acromegaly is a medical condition that causes a benign tumor to grow on the pituitary gland in the brain. The tumor causes the pituitary gland to release excess amounts of growth hormones, which means the tremendous growth spurts that a person experiences in childhood continue unabated into adulthood in patients with acromegaly. People who suffer from acromegaly are much larger than the average adult, with bones that thicken as they lengthen. The bones in their hands, feet, and face are affected the most. As you can imagine, this greatly alters the appearance of the patient.

No Longer An Angel Face
As his acromegaly progressed, Maurice Tillet's once angelic face drastically changed. His jaw took on a square shape as it grew, protruding slightly, and his entire face broadened. His skull elongated until his ears appeared out of place. His hands and feet were gigantic, and he had to relearn how to navigate the world with giant mitts and clumsy feet.

 

The Wrestler
As he grew disillusioned by his diagnosis—a career in the legal profession was right out—Tillet made the acquaintance of a professional wrestler from Lithuania named Karl Pojello in 1937. Pojello was impressed by Tillet's powerful build and persuaded him to become a wrestler, even moving to Paris to train him. Tillet found moderate success as a professional wrestler in France and England until the outbreak of World War II, when he immigrated to America.

The Champ
In the early 1940s in Boston, Tillet connected with wrestling promoter Paul Bowser, and it was here where he truly flourished as a wrestler. He maintained an undefeated winning streak for more than a year and a half, holding the title of AWA World Heavyweight Champion from 1940–1942. He even inspired a slew of imitators: The Irish Angel, Russian Angel, Czech Angel, Canadian Angel, etc. Only one of them—Paul Olaffsen, the Swedish Angel—also suffered from acromegaly.

 

An Early Demise
Unfortunately, as with nearly all acromegaly patients, Tillet's condition cut his life short. At the age of 51, his heart and vascular system could no longer keep up with the demands of his oversize frame, and he died of cardiovascular disease on September 4, 1954 in Chicago. A few years before his death, however, Tillet allowed a Chicago-area sculptor named Louis Linck to craft several plaster busts of his face to both commemorate his wrestling career and document the effects of acromegaly. One of Linck's busts of Tillet is currently housed at the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago.

 

Does Shrek Resemble Tillet?
From these busts and photos taken of Tillet during his life, it's clear that he bears more than a passing resemblance to the lovable ogre, from the protruding jaw to the lopsided grin to the minuscule and misplaced ears. Still, there is no concrete proof that Shrek's appearance was based on Tillet. It could simply be a coincidence.

Other Acromegaly Sufferers
After all, it's not like Tillet was the only high-profile figure who suffered from acromegaly. Although the disorder is rare, its effects result in such striking features that those who suffer from it often use their appearance to make money (and often have no other choice). Andre the Giant, a fellow professional wrestler and actor best remembered for his role as the cuddly brute Fezzick in The Princess Bride, also suffered from acromegaly. Other performers afflicted with the disorder include the 6'9" Ted Cassidy, who played Lurch in The Addams Family , and Richard Keil, who played the villain Jaws in the James Bond movies The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. Shrek's appearance could have been influenced by any or none of these men, and although it might be a dubious honor to inspire a literal ogre, he does have a way with the ladies (not unlike Andre the Giant himself ).

Credit: Karen Harris

Roundups #47: Ice Age TV Series Rumoured To Be In Development For Disney Junior And Disney+, Discovery+ Set To Premiere Tyra Bank Produced Series And Carlos Ponce And Marjorie De Sousa Team Up On Upcoming Lifetime Series

Ice Age enters the preschool market

The Ice Age pack returned recently with The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild and Disney has been making clear that, besides working on a 7th feature film for Disney+ by 20th Century Animation, it seems that the world of Ice Age will entertain the most youngest people on the house.

According to information from Jim Hill, from the podcast specializing in Animation: Fine Tooning, Disney Junior is developing a series with the characters from Ice Age as babies, for Disney+.

 

 

If true Ice Age Babies will be the first preschool show from the Disney Junior brand to not be for TV Broadcasting and probably one of the many Preschool Original Disney Junior Shows For Disney+ that Bob Chapek promised on the Q3 2021, to compete with Netflix Preschool programming.

Tyra Banks returns to fashion world

Generation Drag follows five teenagers as they participate in the Dragutante, a drag show designed as a platform for LGBTQ+ teens to express themselves, as well as the parents and other family members who are learning to support them. All six episodes of the docuseries will be released on Discovery+ on June 1.

“I have such admiration and respect for these teens. They are bravely navigating coming into their own in a world that can be very challenging and not always accepting. What is so beautiful is seeing their parents and siblings supporting them,” Banks said in a news release.

 

 

The series is produced by Monkey Kingdom, a subsidiary of Universal International Studios, in association with Bankable Productions and Cat Fight Productions.

Two Telemundo stars join forces for new series

Marjorie de Sousa revealed her new project. After weeks releasing the occasional clue, the Venezuelan actress announced that she will participate in the series “Amores que deceit”, where she will share the screen with Carlos Ponce.

 

According to Lifetime, 'Amores que deceit’ tells different stories based on human dramas of real women in everyday situations, dealing with love, illusion and trust, pain, betrayal, disappointment and, in some cases, the crime”.

The drama will be made up of 10 unit episodes that narrate the same number of independent stories. Miami, Guadalajara and São Paulo are the places where the stories take place. In the case of Marjorie, her episode has as its epicenter the capital of the state of Jalisco, in Mexico.

The Four Faces Of The Good Doctor

A while back, I did a story on Can Love Become Money's Turkish counterpart As Die Skoen Pas and the point I made in all of this it's not about hating a duplicate but more on awareness to one's surroundings and as mentioned not everyone will like the same things or at least in a certain structure.

On today's agenda we have Mucize Doctor (Miracle Doctor known to South Africans as Dokter Ali) is a 2019 medical drama that follows the antics of a doctor who suffers from autism. As a child, he was discovered to have a genius-level memory and keen spatial skills which gave him the title of Miracle Doctor.

 

But the story was inspired by none other than KBS's The Good Doctor (Gut Dakteo) which won many accolades during its run in 2013 for Best Actor, Best Couple, Best Drama and even got plaque of recognition for creating awareness about autism and how socially challenged individuals can contribute to society.

The success lead to several regional adaptations including America's The Good Doctor from ABC which is one of the longest adaptations currently in its fifth season with a sixth scheduled for release in future. This version was produced by David Shore who went on to create the medical drama, House.

 

 

Other adaptations include the one currently seen on eExtra, the Japanese adaptation Guddo Dokuta and most recent Hong Kong series, The People I Have Loved for the character Dr. Koo Hei-sun.

In the end, The Good Doctor's legacy lives on with these regional versions and it doesn't seem like the journey for this autistic doctor will be stopping anytime soon.

Until Further Notice
DStv customers have until the end of May to tune into Dokter Ali on eExtra thereafter they'll either have to get Openview or wait to view them on e.tv. As far as replacements go HONEY and Via duplicate channel could be added on Family and Access packages.

As mentioned earlier, eExtra's offering is regarded as local at this point if MultiChoice were to redirect audiences to kykNET and Mzansi Wethu for something "similar".

Curiosity Africa To Launch Multiple Documentaries In The Month Of May Including Princes Harry And William - May 2022 Highlights

SUPER SCIENCE MONDAYS

SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE
Brand New Episodes - premieres 02 May 2022 CAT: 20:00
Episodes: 5 x 60 mins – ends 30 May 2022
Secrets of the Universe launches viewers on mind-blowing adventures to seek answers to some of the Universe’s biggest mysteries.

HISTORY LOVER TUESDAYS

THE LAST PERSIAN SHAH
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 31 May 2022 CAT: 20:00
Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi would have been 100 years in October 2019. His wealth was legendary, and his marriages made tabloid headlines for years. However, his name also stands for a time of human rights violations, vicious oppression, and intolerance.

 

 

ROYALS: KEEPING THE CROWN
Brand New Series - premieres 31 May 2022 CAT: 21:00
Episodes: 6 x 60 mins–ends 28 June 2022
Nothing quite captures the world’s attention like the rise, the fall, and the rebranding of royalty. From Queen Victoria’s attempts to unite Europe, to the end of Russia’s Romanovs, right up to Princes William and Harry, this series explores the survival strategies of royals through the ages in rare and never-before-seen archives, colorized for the very first time.

 

BEST OF CURIOSITY SUNDAYS

SECRET LIFE UNDERGROUND
Brand New 2-part Documentary Special - premieres 22 May 2022
CAT: 19:00 Episodes: 2 x 60 mins
The Skin of the Earth: We know less than 10% of the organisms that populate the underground world and that, each in their own way, take an active part in creating the soil. We are just beginning to discover that plants form partnerships and create complex unions. Welcome to this subtle, surprising and secret world.
Hidden in the Depths: Take a journey alongside scientists into an underground maze with huge surprises in store. They lead us into monumental cavities, shaped by water and by time. They reveal to us mineral jewels of staggering beauty, and shed light on certain species of fauna that defy the imagination.