NBC's 1MMs

[Guest Retro Rob]

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - NBC will test its latest countermeasure against the remote control next week with the debut of the network's first "1-Minute Movie."

 

The shorts -- which NBC are calling "1MMs," not to be confused with the dreary Nicolas Cage movie "8MM" -- will be sprinkled throughout the network's prime-time lineup in the coming season. The first, called "The Pussycat Dolls," will air during Thursday's (Sept. 25) season premiere of "Will & Grace."

 

In the film, Carmen Electra joins the L.A. burlesque troupe of the title and seeks to exchange the rhinestones on her costume for a bag of diamonds. Joe Voci and Steven Antin ("Young Americans") wrote the short; Antin directed it.

 

Director Paris Barclay ("The West Wing," "NYPD Blue") and John Wells Productions pitched the idea to NBC as a way to give an extra creative outlet to filmmakers and actors. The movies can also be a way to keep viewers from flipping to other channels during commercials.

Michael Richards, Danny Masterson ("That '70s Show"), Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon ("NYPD Blue"), Tom Arnold and Bill Bellamy will be featured in future "1MMs."

 

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What do you guys think?

[Anakin Flair 0]

Interesting... I'd tune in to see how it would work.

[WrestlingDeacon 0]

I don't think it's a concept that will fly. It's hard to get into something that only lasts a minute at a time. I think it would be too choppy and too hard to really sustain any type of drama or interest. I applaud them trying something different like this, but I'm not sure if it's a concept logical enough to be effective.

[The Tino Standard 0]

I guess it's a neat idea and could work, given some of the people they've got lined up.

 

But seriously, aren't people's attention spans already short enough? I heard from a professor on campus that he talks on a subject in lecture for no longer than 12 min and 30 because that's how long we've been trained to tune into something... i.e., the time between commercial breaks.

 

A sad commentary on the state of things.

[Guest Choken One]

So...It's Movie Commercial?

 

I've seen PLENTY of minute long commericals with "storylines"...

[Guest Fook]

When the movies - if you want to call them that - are shorter than the average movie trailer, it's not a good sign.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I dont watch much on NBC. Law and Order is about it. I usually get up to get a drink, go to the bathroom, that sort of thing during commercial breaks, so this really isnt going to stop me from doing that. I dont think it will stop people with Tivo Boxes from skipping through it either.

 

The only thing I can see is that they are losing a minute of commercial time..

[WrestlingDeacon 0]

What I'm thinking is that the whole movie will play out over the course of an evening in one minute segments. It's just won't be a one minute movie. Therefore you have to watch the whole night of programming to see the whole movie. Most likely NBC will cram an extra minute of commercials in or run the quick thirty second spots to make up for lost swag.

[BUTT 0]

This reminds me of what Nickelodeon used to do with the Adventures of Pete & Pete before it actually became a series, or Nick-at-Nite with their old "The Adventures of Milkman" skit. It shouldn't be that hard to pull off, as long as you're not trying to cram too many plot elements into one minute.

[Guest El Satanico]

I'd stop my tivo and watch them when they came on.