Starveillance
| Starveillance | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Claymation |
| Created by | Eric Fogel |
| Written by |
Eric Fogel John T. Reynolds Eric Scott |
| Directed by | Andrew Horne |
| Starring |
Tia Dionne Hodge Ben Schwartz Kathy Searle Noah Starr |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Eric Fogel |
| Editor(s) |
Noel Derblich Geoffrey Whitman |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 24 mins. |
| Production company(s) | E! Entertainment Network |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | E! |
| Original run | January 5, 2007 – February 9, 2007 |
Starveillance is an American claymation television series created by Celebrity Deathmatch creator Eric Fogel that debuted on January 5, 2007 on E!. The show is produced by Toronto-based Cuppa Coffee Studio. Fogel chose not to work on his revived MTV hit Celebrity Deathmatch in order to spend more time working on this show.
Show
The show parodies celebrity situations through stop-motion animation. The show is hosted by Glen and Corey, who hide video cameras all over the world to tape celebrities in their private moments.
The first episode, which aired on January 5, 2007, depicted The Olsen Twins and their real estate agent who appears ready to tear his hair out due to the outrageous demands and obnoxious nature of the twins. The next sketch showed a hyper-active Vince Vaughn asking Jennifer Aniston to go out with him. They then show Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's meeting with a wedding planner, where Kevin proceeds to film Britney's rear end and speaks in a tone synonymous with "gangstas". When asked about her gown, Britney says that she would prefer a sweatsuit, Kevin agreed, demanding that said sweatsuit must double as pajamas, "'cause his baby gots to be comfortable". The couple demanded corndogs at their reception. The next skit depicted the aftermath of the birth of Tom Cruise's baby. Tom was very loud and hyper, prancing around and making Katie Holmes miserable by suggesting they name their baby girl L. Ron. Surprisingly, Katie is not shown in a negative light, but simply as an overstressed woman trying to cope with her extremely annoying husband. Later in the skit, Brooke Shields makes an appearance. In the next skit, Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston are filming the reality show Being Bobby Brown where we see that in reality they are nothing like the people shown on their reality show. In the final skit, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are having a meeting with the leaders of two African nations in order to decide which of the countries will host the birth of their baby.
Episode list
Season 1: 2007
| Ep # | Episode | Air date | Overview |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | January 5, 2007 | The Olsen Twins shop for an apartment. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston have lunch after filming The Break-Up. Britney Spears and Kevin Federline plan their wedding. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes at the hospital after Katie has had her baby. Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston film Being Bobby Brown. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie plan in which African country they are going to have their baby. |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | January 12, 2007 | Mischa Barton appears after being killed off on The O.C.. Jennifer Lopez makes her perfume line. Mel Gibson pitches The Passion of the Christ. Madonna rehearses for her tour. David Copperfield and David Blaine meet at a magic convention. Hilary Swank appears after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | January 19, 2007 | Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz on their Paris vacation. George Clooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger on the set of Batman & Robin. Ashlee Simpson after her accident on Saturday Night Live. Britney Spears hires a nanny. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' pre-nup. Michael Jackson sells the Neverland Ranch. |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | January 26, 2007 | P. Diddy chooses a new name. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez the night before Gigli opens. Fabio at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Simon Cowell in his off-time. Lindsay Lohan is confronted by Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey before hosting Saturday Night Live for the third time. Star Jones and Barbara Walters in couple counseling. |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | February 2, 2007 | The Desperate Housewives discuss their Vanity Fair photo shoot. Kathy Griffin hangs out with her gays. Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell on the set of The Tyra Banks Show. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin name their new baby. Katie Couric's farewell party from The Today Show. Liza Minnelli and David Gest's wedding. |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | February 9, 2007 | The Friends cast reminisce. Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore go on their first date. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie fall out. Oprah Winfrey crashes a wedding. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal run into each other. Heather Locklear and Denise Richards fight. |
Response
The show got a lot of publicity from E! and was promoted in such shows as The Soup and E! News.
Some skits from the show were shown around the internet months before the show premiered. The skits caused a mixed reaction from the fans of Eric's previous TV series Celebrity Deathmatch, which he left to work on this show.
The response from critics was mostly positive. For example, Variety said:
"Starveillance isn't the kind of concept likely to have significant staying power, but it feels like a logical step for E! as the channel seeks to branch out beyond its limited reality-TV profile into somewhat more ambitious fare -- the kind of show whose best moments are tailor-made to be sliced, diced and repurposed on YouTube." - Brian Lowry, Variety
Starveillance was not renewed for a second season presumably because of low ratings.
Syndication
Teen channel The N aired the episodes from April 11, 2009 to May 16, 2009.