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'Smoking Gun TV' takes aim at hip viewersCourt TV seeks young audience with show based on Web site
By Thom Patterson
(CNN) -- The jury is out on whether Court TV's new "Smoking Gun TV" specials -- based on the popular Web site -- can bring younger, hipper viewers to a channel loaded with courtroom proceedings and crime shows. The first of the network's specials -- based on thesmokinggun.com -- debuts at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT Wednesday. "I'm not doing this show to appeal to anyone," said host Mo Rocca. "This is part of my master plan to become a former prosecutor. Because, if I become a former prosecutor, then I will be on TV constantly, and I'll be subbing for Larry King." Rocca, 34, also hangs his hat at Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" as senior political correspondent. But there appears to be some disorder in the initial Court TV proceedings. About a week ago, producers suddenly decided to cut the program's length from an hour to 30 minutes. Final production wrapped on the special Monday, two days before its premiere. New York Daily News TV critic David Bianculli -- who counts himself as an enthusiastic admirer of the Web site -- wrote that a rough cut of the hourlong show was "idiotic and unwatchable." "It was just so different in tone from the intelligence of the Web site itself that it was a huge disappointment," Bianculli told CNN.com. "I think they're trying too hard to be edgy, fun and hip," Bianculli said. "And they're trying to be entertaining -- in this case -- sophomoric." Other publications were also critical, including the Orlando Sentinel, which called the show a "dumb, rambunctious comedy." Media Life said, "Some of this is funny. Much of it is filler." However, The Hollywood Reporter praised the special as "a gem," comparing it to "SCTV." Rocca said a 30-minute format has improved the program. "As often happens on first shows, we were behind schedule on production," he said. "So -- at the same time the rough cut was sent out -- that was really our first chance to evaluate how it played as an hour. "There's a reason most comedy shows are a half-hour," he said. "It just plays better." Rocca laughed about the critical jeers. "It has been difficult on my family -- my 8-year-old daughter, Sally," Rocca said. "You know how vicious second-graders can be about the Daily News TV column." Irreverent humor and attitude
Court TV -- 50 percent of which is owned by CNN.com's parent company, AOL Time Warner -- plans to air a new "Smoking Gun TV" each quarter, with the next one set for December. Company Chairman and CEO Henry Schleiff said he wants to add the Web site's irreverent humor to the network's programming. "We're trying to reach a younger audience -- a little more hip, a little livelier audience sometimes," Schleiff said. "And I think a show like that will help do it -- especially with this kind of host and attitude." Danny Green, William Bastone and Barbara Glauber launched thesmokinggun.com in 1997, using irreverence, research and disclosure to gain notoriety and popularity. Wednesday's special briefly highlights some of their stories that made the Web site famous. The site lifted the veil on the fact that the groom on Fox's "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?" had been slapped with a restraining order earlier by a former fiancee. It first revealed that a finalist on another Fox reality show, "Joe Millionaire," had performed in so-called "fetish bondage" movies. CNN.com was a target when thesmokinggun.com published design mockups of how the news site planned to cover the deaths of several famous newsmakers. Tone of site a little darker
Green, managing editor of the site, acknowledged that the tone of the show's rough cut was somewhat different from the Web site. "The stuff on our site -- it's funny, but it sticks purely with the facts," Green said. "On the show, they twist the facts a little bit for comedic effect. "If you like the site, you'll be interested in seeing what some very funny people did with material based on the site." Is Green worried that the show will distort the image of the Web site? "I'm not concerned about that," he said. "Because if it gets people to come to the site ... they'll quickly realize what we are." Rocca said he agrees the show's tone is markedly different from the site. "The humor for the Web site, which I love, is a little darker," he said. "We're obviously not going to do a field piece on the assassination of Malcolm X. ... That's not fodder for comedy." The comedian likens the comparison to the difference between the news parody site theonion.com with "The Daily Show," which parody's TV news. "They're both really funny, but there is certain humor that is acceptable as printed material that would not be acceptable on TV," he said.
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