― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 11 August 2006 19:59 (seventeen years ago) link
― cousin larry bundgee (bundgee), Friday, 11 August 2006 20:07 (seventeen years ago) link
OSCOW -- Warner Bros. is on a roll in Russia with a local version of its 1980s TV hit "Perfect Strangers," featuring two local actors playing reincarnated versions of the show's original central characters Larry and Balki -- but with the new monikers of Andrei and Ivan.
This is a distinctly Russian version of the U.S. evergreen comedy that aired on ABC from 1986-93, starring Mark Linn-Baker as Larry and Bronson Pinchot as Balki. But the local actors playing the leads were diligent about studying their American counterparts' performances before hitting their marks.
Artem Semakin, who plays Andrei (and is known to Russian audiences for his role in CTC comedy "Born Ugly"), says during a pause in the frantic production pace on the Russian set, "The American actors have that accuracy which is so necessary in a sitcom: accuracy of tempo and pauses."
Ivan is played by Anton Eldarov, who also is well known to Russian audiences from his role in military drama "Soldaty" (also on Ren-TV). "We simply show what goes on between two guys, one with a Moscow psychology, the other with a provincial outlook," he says. "Two 'grotesque' types -- exactly the same ethos as the U.S. series."
Already in its second month on air, "Perfect Strangers" -- or as Russian audiences know it "Brat'ya po-raznomu" is off to a promising start with a respectable 5% audience share.
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The show is being made under a deal in which WBITV has partnered with entertainment channel CTC -- Russia's fourth-largest national broadcaster -- and Amedia, one of its leading TV production houses, to produce the formats.
And this is just the beginning for Warner Bros. International Television as it heads east in a scripted format deal with the Russians that will see its popular sitcoms "Suddenly Susan," "Step by Step" and "Full House" go Cyrillic.
"Perfect Strangers," which airs five nights a week on Ren-TV with daytime repeats, is down for 50 episodes, though its Moscow producer Dmitri Mileshin believes options for further episodes are likely to be taken up.
"The time has come for these sorts of sitcoms on Russian television; viewers enjoy the humor, and they are shows all the family can watch and relax with," says Mileshin, a large, affable and bearded man. "We think the initial 50 episodes will be extended -- there are options to continue in chunks of 26 -- because its already getting the ratings and is popular with viewers."
But Mileshin is at pains to emphasis how different the Russian version is. "We've kept the essence -- the dramaturgy -- but some 70% of the episodes have been completely rewritten," he says. "Russian audiences don't understand American jokes, and a lot of detail needed to be changed. But Hollywood is the world's master factory for television, and we can learn a lot from each other," he says, adding that WBITV executives were "intrigued" by the Russian approach to fine-tuning the show.
Four or five pilots of the Russian version were filmed before they were screened to a range of focus groups. Recordings of the laughter -- and timing between gags -- were then used to tweak the pace and rate of the comedy.
Down on the set at Amedia's sprawling new Media City studios, housed in a vast old former ball bearing factory, the good humor and buzz are much in evidence.
Director Roman Fokin -- donning a red T-shirt with an image of President Vladimir Putin on the front and the gag "dobrogo putina" -- a word play on the Russian for "safe travels" (dobrogo puti) and the president's surname -- is dashing about between takes working at getting just the right expressions of adulation from the young female extras.
Like many young directors and artists working in Russian television, his background is in KVN -- Klub Vesyolykh I Nakhodchivykh -- university comedy clubs similar to Britain's famous Cambridge Footlights.
"Andrei and Ivan are like chalk and cheese -- they have virtually nothing in common except they are distant relations," Folkin says. "But both want to try their best and are forever repeating, 'We are, after all, brothers,' which adds to the irony and comic situations."
With a tight shooting schedule -- three 26-minute episodes are shot every week, with an average day's shooting getting 12-13 minutes in the can -- Fokin has little time for reflection.
― Beth S. (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 18:53 (seventeen years ago) link
― and what (ooo), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 18:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― Beth S. (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 18:58 (seventeen years ago) link
Uh-oh.
Then again the idea of American sitcom acting being as utterly formal as kabuki makes perfect sense.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:08 (seventeen years ago) link
― and what (ooo), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:11 (seventeen years ago) link
― geoff (gcannon), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― geoff (gcannon), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:13 (seventeen years ago) link
Russian comic timing = Yakov Smirnoff?
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:13 (seventeen years ago) link
no run in with neo-fascist then
― S. (Sébastien Chikara), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:14 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:15 (seventeen years ago) link
― geoff (gcannon), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:18 (seventeen years ago) link
― geoff (gcannon), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:19 (seventeen years ago) link
― Fleischhutliebe! like a warm, furry meatloaf (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:20 (seventeen years ago) link
― geoff (gcannon), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 19:21 (seventeen years ago) link
― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 20:42 (seventeen years ago) link
― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 20:43 (seventeen years ago) link
― Adrienne Begley (sparklecock), Wednesday, 15 November 2006 01:29 (seventeen years ago) link
whuddabout family matters?
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― latebloomer: not to be confused with the dolphin from Seaquest DSV (latebloomer), Wednesday, 15 November 2006 03:07 (seventeen years ago) link
― StanM (StanM), Wednesday, 15 November 2006 05:32 (seventeen years ago) link
― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Wednesday, 15 November 2006 05:32 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 26 February 2007 19:24 (seventeen years ago) link
― the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Monday, 26 February 2007 19:30 (seventeen years ago) link
― nickalicious, Monday, 26 February 2007 19:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― t**t, Monday, 26 February 2007 19:36 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 26 February 2007 19:40 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 26 February 2007 19:42 (seventeen years ago) link
― Hurting 2, Monday, 26 February 2007 20:58 (seventeen years ago) link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meego
― Curt1s Stephens, Thursday, 2 August 2007 15:42 (sixteen years ago) link
this site is useful btw: http://www.poobala.com/crossoverlist.html
― Curt1s Stephens, Thursday, 2 August 2007 15:44 (sixteen years ago) link
This area is devoted to spin offs of shows and crossovers between shows. When shows crossover or spin off other shows the implication is that those shows share a reality. If The Jeffersons and Archie Bunker can meet each other they clearly are part of the same world as opposed to Archie Bunker being able to turn on his TV and watch The Jeffersons. Now when you figure in that many shows do LOTS of crossovers with various shows that can lead to tons of shows all theoretically being part of the same reality (Yeah, I know - I've got waaay too much time on my hands). Click here to go to lists of crossovers and spin offs broken down into groups by their shared realities.
...useful or insane?
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 2 August 2007 15:49 (sixteen years ago) link
I Dream of Jeannie and Law & Order are in the same shared reality!
― Curt1s Stephens, Thursday, 2 August 2007 15:51 (sixteen years ago) link
Three cast members of Gilligan's Island, Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, and Russell Johnson, had a guest appearance on an unaired episode titled Mommy 'n' Meego.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 2 August 2007 15:52 (sixteen years ago) link
it's kind of frightening how much my youth was spent watching horrible sitcoms
― latebloomer, Thursday, 2 August 2007 15:52 (sixteen years ago) link
oh christ this thread
― HI DERE, Friday, 3 August 2007 15:38 (sixteen years ago) link
Hahaha
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 3 August 2007 15:38 (sixteen years ago) link
<3
― the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Friday, 3 August 2007 15:40 (sixteen years ago) link
i want mypos to be real
― brownie, Friday, 3 August 2007 15:48 (sixteen years ago) link
FRESH YOUNG BALLLK-I B!
― Abbott, Saturday, 3 November 2007 22:56 (sixteen years ago) link
i loved this show, as a kid
"Now we do the dance of joy"
― Heave Ho, Saturday, 3 November 2007 23:02 (sixteen years ago) link
Don't we all.
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 3 November 2007 23:05 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vbnLYROCj8
I have not watched that since childhood.
Did that just say "Produced by Philip Roth"?
― roxymuzak, Saturday, 3 November 2007 23:35 (sixteen years ago) link
BALKI BARTOLKOMOS, CONSUMER ADVOCATE:
There was this one where Balki's favorite cereal, which promised 100 raisins in every box, bought a share of stock in the cereal, which he framed on his wall. After the first commercial break and probably some subplot, Balki counted the raisins in his new box of cereal and THERE WERE ONLY 67 RAISINS. He was crushed until Larry pointed out the stock meant he owned part of the company. After the second commercial break, Balki met up with the president of the company and shared his disappointment. The president realized what a grave error he made, commended Balki, and instituted a program to make sure at least 100 raisins in every box.
This show gave me some mixed up ideas about finance.
Another example: Balki opens a checking account (was it ever established if he was a naturalized citizen?). In his excitement, he bought Maryann a pack of gum and Larry a lightbulb with one of his new checks. But then, he BOUNCED a check by buying, IIRC, a tapestry of some collies. And I didn't get to see the rest of the episode, so I was horrified and anxious for a whole week. Did Balki get arrested? Did Larry kick him out of his apartment?
― Abbott, Saturday, 3 November 2007 23:47 (sixteen years ago) link
Larry tries to kickstart his career and gets tipped off that Dolly Parton is in town committing adultery. So he decides to follow her until he could get a picture to sell to newspapers. Meanwhile, Balki will do a favor for anyone who will ask for it so Larry teaches him to say "no" once and a while, but it backfires on him.
Ha! I remember this one: I had to ask my dad what adultery was. He comtemplated whether I should be allowed to continue watching my FAVORITE SHOW.
The unspecified pronoun in the second sentence kind of kills the didacticism here!
― Abbott, Saturday, 3 November 2007 23:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Balki hasn't been sleeping due to a nightmare that has been haunting him about him not being able to help out at harvest season back on Mypos.
― Abbott, Saturday, 3 November 2007 23:52 (sixteen years ago) link
"Future Shock"
Jennifer has been given a promotion but if she accepts it, she has to move to LA. Larry refuses to tell her how he feels as a fear of rejection but later that evening, he has a dream about being a lonely old man with Balki and Mary Anne married, rich, living upstairs.
!!!!
― Abbott, Saturday, 3 November 2007 23:54 (sixteen years ago) link
Larry and Balki throw a Halloween party with their friends and after six hours of watching scary movies, Larry wakes up and discovers that Balki is an alien from "Planet Mypos" and is turning everyone into Mypiots by putting vests on them.
This one actually scared me as a kid. Larry gets stabbed in the chest in a surprisingly gory fashion!
― Abbott, Saturday, 3 November 2007 23:57 (sixteen years ago) link
Maybe that's how Mark Linn-Baker got to play Zuckerman?
― G00blar, Saturday, 3 November 2007 23:58 (sixteen years ago) link