Without Breasts There is No Paradise
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section contains information about a scheduled upcoming television series. It may contain non-definitive information based on advertisements, a website or interviews. The information may change as the date of the series premiere approaches. |
| Without Breasts There Is No Paradise | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Format | telenovela, drama |
| Created by | Gustavo Bolivar |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Gary Scott Thompson |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 720p (HDTV) |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso (Telemundo series) |
Without Breasts There Is No Paradise is the working title of an NBC drama series produced by Universal Media Studios[1] which is in development.[2]. It features the travails of a pretty young hooker, who seeks massive breast implants to attract a rich cocaine smuggler.[3].
This show is adapted from Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso, a 2006 Colombian telenovela. Its final episode scored a record 63 share of the country's viewers.[4] The story is also based on investigative journalist Gustavo Bolivar's eponymous debut novel about child prostitution.
In April, 2008, Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC, said that "We're continuing to develop it," but he hinted that an English-language version may not be produced. "It's very likely, actually, to go on Telemundo," he said. 'Our script wasn't quite ready." NBC has said little about this project since it first announced in mid-2007 that it was in development -- and no pilot has been produced.[5]
Contents |
[edit] Story
Paraíso tells the story of 17-year-old Catalina, a gorgeous young girl who descends into a decadent world of easy money as a teen prostitute.[6] She comes from a poor single-parent family and her brother works as a hired killer for drug traffickers. The girl dreams of a life of luxury, but she is not bosomy enough to attract a wealthy pusher whom she can seduce into making her a pampered paramour.[7]
Sick of poverty, Catalina decides that plastic surgery will help her find a new life. During her pursuit, she is raped, gets an abortion and dives into the sex trade.[8] She sells her body to raise money for breast augmentation.[9] After five operations, she loses the will to live and commits suicide.[10]
[edit] Origins
Gustavo Bolivar's heroine is a "pre-paid girl," which means she sells her services around-the-clock for a set period, hoping to make extra money. [11] The screenwriter says Paraiso highlights an unflattering part of his country: teenagers in the Colombian narco-culture getting the breast implants. He explained in July, 2007,
When I wrote it, I never imagined that such a local story could transcend. What happens is that it touches a theme that is indeed universal: the beauty based in vanity and its connection with money.... No book before had denounced in such bad terms the drug dealers, the ignorant mothers who confuse the love for their daughters with pimping, and the unscrupulous plastic surgeons.[12]
Bolívar says the story is based on real-life conditions facing child prostitutes in the town of Pereira. There he met two girls who were desperate for silicone breasts. One told him that got her operation for free in exchange for sex. Unfortunately, the doctor used a pair of used implants, which led to allergic reactions and infection.[13]
[edit] Development
This was the first television show Ben Silverman bought after being named co-chairman of NBC Entertainment.[14] He named Gary Scott Thompson, creator of Las Vegas, as executive producer.[15] NBC will air the English series, which may deviate from the usual telenovela format, along the lines of Ugly Betty.[16]
This show's unique name attracted media attention. A New York magazine writer called it an "almost unbelievably perfect title" and remarked that "TV nirvana has just been achieved."[17] A New York Post headline referred to a "full-frontal soap."[18] The Charlotte Observer remarked that NBC put its "'breast' foot forward."[19] A Dallas Morning News editorial said NBC will be "without a shred of integrity" if this show ever airs.[20]
NBC Universal has experimented with English telenovelas in the past. In early 2006, it commissioned an English version of El Cuerpo del Deseo (Body of Desire), which was a hit on sister network Telemundo. That same year, it inked a deal with a two-year contract with the Los Angeles production company Galán Entertainment to adapt Deseo and other Spanish serials for use on NBC, Bravo and USA Network.[21]. None of the productions have aired.
[edit] Spanish version
NBC Universal commissioned both English and Spanish versions of the Colombian serial to be produced independently.[22] Telemundo developed the Spanish version using a different cast and script. The network will likely air the show as a conventional telenovela and offer English subtitles as closed captions on CC3.[23] The English adaptation, if produced, will not appear until after the Telemundo series airs.[24]
[edit] Resources
[edit] Book
- Bolivar, Gustavo (2006). Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso. Bogotá: Oveja Negra, 300 pp. ISBN 84-934791-3-6.
[edit] External links
- Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso Official Canal Caracol Website (Spanish)
- Measuring the Cost of Paradise by Cup Size
- Breast-Obsessed TV Show a Colombian Hit
- Webpage from the actor Miguel Angel Silvestre
