In the Pursuit of Fame

One reality show that I liked only lasted one season. Back in 2003, Debbie Allen produced and hosted "Fame". This show followed hopefuls who sought fame by polishing up their singing, dancing and acting skills. I believe the winner was determined by audience votes. I'm not sure why it failed, because I thought it gave a good picture of what it takes to do musical theater.

This was also illustrated by "Grease: You're the One That I Want!" in 2006. In this one, a male and female lead were chosen for a new Broadway production of "Grease". Winners, Max Crumm and Laura Osnes are still in the production, but Max is planning to leave next month. They appeared on the Tony awards.

I assume that "Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods" on MTV is similar, though I haven't gotten around to watching it.

One I've watched every season is "I Wanna Be a Soap Star" on SoapNet. I don't know if they will continue to do new seasons, but as a former soap watcher, I enjoyed it. The prize was a short-term role on a soap opera. Different years were different shows. Some of the winners went on to real careers, such as Alec Musser on "All My Children" and Ashlee Holland on "Days of Our Lives."

"I Know My Kid's a Star" produced and hosted by Danny Bonaduce looked at the work it takes, for both parents and their offspring, to create a child star. I found it fascinating, partly because I played stage mom for my son for a short time. After seeing what people go through, I think we made a good decision to drop out. Marki Costello was a judge, of sorts, but Bonaduce made the final choice each week of who to send home. The show was as much about the parents as the kids. All the kids were talented. As far as I can tell, the 9-year-0ld winner hasn't done any professional work yet, but she's young!

Marki Costello was a casting director for "The Bachelor" in 2002 and "Next Action Star" in 2004. The latter being another of those shows that fall into the pursuing an entertainment career category. I could swear I've seen her on another show, but I wasn't able to verify that. Maybe it was something called "Open Call" but the show's description didn't ring a bell with me.

One of these shows, I think the soap opera one, did something I liked very much. It announced who was going home and afterwards showed the judges' deliberations. That way, the viewer got to see more of how the decision was made.

Finally, marginally fitting into this category is Stan Lee's "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" . It's so silly, it's fun to watch. Stan Lee apparently makes all the decisions as to who goes or stays. The winner's character ends up having his or her own comic book and a Scifi Channel movie.

So, can tv reality shows lead to real stardom? Rarely, but anything is possible.