Spielberg to dabble in reality

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published February 26, 2007

LOS ANGELES - A new TV series from Steven Spielberg and reality mogul Mark Burnett that offers aspiring filmmakers a $1-million studio contract will air this spring.

On the Lot debuts with an hourlong audition episode May 16 on Fox. The first films produced by 16 finalists will air in a two-hour episode on May 28, with four contestants eliminated the following night, the network said.

Weekly "film premiere" episodes will air on Mondays beginning June 4, with results episodes airing on Tuesdays.

The winner gets a contract with DreamWorks, the studio that was co-founded by Spielberg and acquired last year by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.

"All through my career I've done what I can to discover new talent and give them a start," Spielberg said when the show was announced last year.

The Oscar-winning director of Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan called the show a chance to open "a much wider door."

Burnett, whose shows include Survivor and The Apprentice, joined with another DreamWorks founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg, for the TV boxing competition The Contender.

[Last modified February 26, 2007, 01:18:39]