Posted 2:30 AM by Blah blah

Concept More Important Than Stars in Hollywood (Entertainment)

Fascinating article! In fact, I find this trend not just in TV and movies, but in some blogs. Some blogs are popular just from the "concept," or type of blog they are.

Major Stars Not So Crucial as Concept Trumps Celebrity (NY Times):
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Entertainment producers are relying more than ever on high-concept movies, reality television shows and manufactured musical projects, tilting the balance of power away from big-name, big-ticket stars in favor of franchises that mint, rather than require, famous faces....

Seven of the top 10 programs in the recently completed television season were reality shows like "Joe Millionaire" or procedural dramas like "C.S.I." and "Law & Order" that depend on the story, not easily replaced cast members. And Kelly Clarkson, the fresh-faced winner of the first "American Idol" popularity contest on Fox, released her album in April just one week before Madonna and has outsold the one-name star by a ratio of more than two to one.

In this plug-and-play entertainment economy, concepts and marketing have become so dominant that performers are increasingly finding themselves treated like one more bit of product placement. Abundant, disposable celebrities and a proliferation of entertainment options on cable, the World Wide Web and game systems have created a cluttered environment where easy-to-understand conceits — like "The Bachelor" and "X-Men" — are needed to break through. As a result, entertainment companies in pursuit of sturdy, long-running franchises are less willing to balance them on something as unpredictable as the popularity of a single star.

"You need concepts that can be easily grasped," said Walter Parkes, co-head of motion pictures at DreamWorks SKG, "that can be described quickly in the schoolyard or at the grocery store checkout. You need urgent word of mouth."

Of course, celebrities will always endure, as a glimpse of "Entertainment Tonight" or US Weekly demonstrates....But a high-priced star is no longer the only answer to the high velocity of today's entertainment world, where people grant the latest film or record release a nanosecond of attention before moving on to the next big thing....

Dick Wolf reinvented the crime genre when he started "Law & Order." Now he has three versions of the franchise, all highly rated, and would like to add a fourth. He says the programs are "pure concept," all cast and recast as he sees fit.

"The play is the thing," he said. "You know, it's a very funny thing, but Hamlet works. As long as the actor is good enough, it doesn't really matter who is in the role. It's the writing. If the writing is good you can replace anybody."