''Fame'' is a reality television competition series that ran on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
in the summer of
2003. The show was essentially NBC's attempt to duplicate the success of mega-hit ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'', right down to their selection of judges. Former pop star
Carnie Wilson
Carnie Wilson (born April 29, 1968) is an American singer and television personality. She is the daughter of Brian Wilson and in 1989 co-founded the pop music trio Wilson Phillips with her younger sister Wendy. From 1995 onwards, she has also be ...
was similar in her judgements to ''American Idol's''
Paula Abdul,
Johnny Wright, the veteran music producer, was the show's analogue of
Randy Jackson, and
JoJo Wright
JoJo Wright (“JoJo On The Radio”) is an American radio personality, Internet show host, celebrity commentator, and film actor. He hosts the Top 40 radio show, “JoJo On The Radio,” which airs on the number one station in Los Angeles, KIIS-F ...
was, like
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...
, the judge who says things to stir people up. The show retained the original
''Fame'' theme music (with a new vocal), as well as producer
Debbie Allen. Former
NSYNC member
Joey Fatone
Joseph Anthony Fatone Jr. (born January 28, 1977) is an American singer, dancer, actor, and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband NSYNC, in which he sang baritone. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reali ...
was the official host of the show, but Allen also made frequent appearances.
The show was based on the Italian show ''
Amici'', where young talented dancers, singers and actors attended a school to become
triple threat performers. The series used the title and imagery of MGM's
1980 film ''Fame'' (also about a school of budding triple threat performers) to give the show familiarity utilizing that trademark to American audiences. While ''Amici'' has continued into the 2020s, the reality version of ''Fame'' in the United States, like most ''Idol'' competitors of the 2000s, lasted only a single season.
Voting methods
In the initial rounds, the producers and judges chose which performers would stay or go, with the final dozen or so performances surviving based on the recommendations of the judges as well as phone votes from fans. Unlike ''American Idol'', where one viewer could call up to thousands of times in a 2-hour window, ''Fame'' limited the number of votes to five per phone number.
Criticism
Although the ''Fame'' premiere did well in the
ratings, it was criticized for several choices. Unlike ''Idol'', where the producers had absolutely no connection to any performers before the auditions, Allen personally knew and had worked with a number of those who made it to the final rounds.
In the middle of the season, the show announced they would bring in a "spoiler", a new finalist who could make it to the last round if the public enjoyed their work. They asked viewers to send in audition tapes by July 1. On July 2, they announced the winner -
Tyce Keith Diorio. Diorio was introduced on the show as a mere dance instructor, but his actual credits included being a former backup dancer for Fatone's
NSYNC,
Paula Abdul,
Janet Jackson,
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
,
Jennifer Lopez, and dancing in an
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
piece choreographed by Debbie Allen, raising the suspicion of those who auditioned as the spoiler that the work they put into their audition tapes was completely in naught and the 'competition' for that slot was
fixed. The twist in the end did not affect the full contest, as the audience vote saw Diorio eliminated in the next episode.
Dropping ratings
Unlike ''American Idol'', which focused on singing, or ''
Star Search
''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...
'', which divided talent up into several categories, ''Fame'' sought a "triple threat", someone who could dance, sing, and have star quality. In the eyes of many viewers, most of the finalists had shockingly poor singing abilities, and so much emphasis was placed on dance numbers that their voices never improved. Viewer reaction quickly gave way to apathy and the ratings fell considerably.
Finalists
The final two performers were
Shannon Bex
Shannon Rae Bex (born March 22, 1980) is an American singer, reality show personality, professional dancer, and co-founder of Vooks. the world's first streaming platform for children's storybooks. She was also a member of girl group Danity Kan ...
and Harlemm Lee. Lee himself was not without controversy, as he had lied about his age (even though there was no age limit on the show) and his short-lived 1980s musical career as Gerry Woo. However, he dazzled viewers with his
campy
Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Camp aesthetics disrupt many of modernism's notions of what art is and what can be classified as high art by inverting ae ...
performances of such songs as
Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams (born May 4, 1953) is an American singer and pianist. She found limited success during the early 1980s, before gaining fame via her contributions to Tears for Fears's international chart-topping album '' The Seeds of Love'' (1989). He ...
' "
Get Here", and they deemed him the true "triple threat." Lee's prizes included a record deal, a starring role in the
off-Broadway play ''
Fame on 42nd Street'', and a free year-long hotel stay. Lee's record, ''Introducing Harlemm Lee''
Amazon.com: Introducing Harlemm Lee: Music: Harlemm Lee
/ref> was barely promoted and quickly flopped, he did not appear in the play (the producers cited a scheduling conflict), and by summer 2004 he told fans if not for unemployment checks and the free hotel stay, he would have been penniless and homeless. In spite of the shabby treatment, Lee said he had no hard feelings. In 2005, Bex became a member of the successful girl group Danity Kane
Danity Kane was an American girl group whose original and most well-known lineup comprised Aubrey O'Day, Aundrea Fimbres, Dawn Richard, Shannon Bex, and Wanita "D. Woods" Woodgett. Its most recent iteration included O'Day and Richard as a duo ...
until their split in 2009.
References
External links
*
''Fame'' links
Recaps/reviews - more can be found in their archives section
Harlemm Lee's homepage
{{Fame franchise
Fame (franchise)
NBC original programming
Singing talent shows
2003 American television series debuts
2000s American reality television series
Television series by MGM Television
2003 American television series endings
Television series by Stone Stanley Entertainment
English-language television shows