''If I Can Dream'' is a webseries that was created by
Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer renowned for nurturing and inspiring world class entertainment talent. He is the creator of the ''Idols'' TV format, including the UK s ...
. The show was not renewed for a second season in 2011.
Format
The show followed performers who moved into a house in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The house was wired with 56 AXIS
cameras and the footage was broadcast live on the show's website. Each contestant was judged to excel in either one of the creative arts, sport or fashion and the premise of the show was to follow them as they attempted to succeed in their chosen field.
As of December 2009, the house was fully prepared and on March 2, 2010, the cast moved in. The television aspect of the show was weekly 30-minute highlight shows airing first through
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
then later through a traditional broadcast network.
Clear Channel was to handle radio aspects and
MySpace was the production's online partner.
PepsiCo
PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...
and
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
signed on to sponsor the project.
The first season concluded after 32 episodes . On October 4, 2010 the show's website said "Thanks for being a part of Season 1. Get ready for Season 2 starting in 2011."
Technology
The ''If I Can Dream'' House was wired with 56
AXIS
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
*Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinate ...
Q1755 H.264 cameras delivering content across 3 CDNs (Akamai, BitGravity and
Highwinds). Video feeds were available at both 500 kbit/s and 1 Mbit/s. As designed, ''If I Can Dream'' was the largest persistent live "event" produced by a media company.
Accompanying the technology platform was a website built by an interactive design firm.
Cast members
Dreamers
Original members
When the show debuted on March 2, 2010, the original five members of the cast included:
* Giglianne Braga : a 21-year-old aspiring high-fashion model from
Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 40,684,[Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was d ...]
"Protect the Skin You're In" campaign and, along with Ben and Justin,
PETA
Peta or PETA may refer to:
Acronym
* Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943
* People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization
* People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...
's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign.
* Ben Elliott:
a 22-year-old aspiring actor from
Hamburg, New York
Hamburg is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 56,936. It is named after the city of Hamburg, Germany. The town is on the western border of the county and is south of Buffalo. Ham ...
. Over the course of the first season, he concentrated on acting lessons from Kirby and casting calls but also participated in promotional photo shoots for PETA and a music video. He currently later had a recurring role on the
ABC Family
The American cable television, cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and s ...
series ''
The Lying Game
''The Lying Game'' is an American teen drama mystery television series developed by Charles Pratt Jr. It premiered on ABC Family on August 15, 2011, and ended on March 12, 2013. The series was produced by Pratt Enterprises, Alloy Entertainment, ...
''.
*
Justin Gaston
Justin Michael Gaston (born August 12, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter, model, and actor who was also a contestant on ''Nashville Star'' on season 6. He finished 10th overall out of 12 contestants. He portrayed the role of Ben Rogers on ...
: a 21-year-old ''
Nashville Star
''Nashville Star'' is an American reality television singing competition program that aired for six seasons, from 2003 to 2008. Its first five seasons aired on USA Network, while the last season aired on NBC. Its five seasons on USA made it the l ...
'' season six contestant from
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is located across the Red River from the larger Alexandria. Pineville is hence part of the Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,555 at the 2010 cens ...
and an aspiring Country singer-songwriter. He is also a former underwear model, and he is known for having been the former boyfriend of
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
. He also starred in country singer
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's "
Love Story" music video. Justin performed at
Wango Tango and local venues over the course of his stay. He also participated in a promotional photo shoot for PETA. He also briefly opened for
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil Allen (born June 21, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of ''American Idol''.
Prior to ''Idol'', he self-released a 2007 album, ''Brand New Shoes''.
Allen's ...
.
*
Kara Killmer
Kara Killmer (born June 14, 1988) is an American actress, best known for starring as paramedic Sylvie Brett in the NBC drama series ''Chicago Fire'' (as well as the associated series ''Chicago Med'' and ''Chicago P.D.'', which together make ...
: a 21-year-old aspiring actress from
Crowley, Texas
Crowley is a city located mainly in Tarrant County in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 18,070 at the 2020 census, up 40.8% from the 2010 census.
History
Around 1848, pioneers began farming the area around Deer Creek. The settlement ...
. Killmer is also a 2010 graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas; graduating with a major in Theater Arts.
Over the course of the first season, Kara took extensive acting lessons from John Kirby, attended casting calls, and participated in several fund raisers via the
Pepsi Refresh Project The Pepsi Refresh Project (PRP) was a 2010 initiative by PepsiCo to award $20 million in grants to individuals, businesses and non-profits that promote a new idea that has a positive impact on their community, state, or the nation. The project is co ...
.
* Amanda Phillips:
a 23-year-old former
NFL cheerleader
National Football League Cheerleading or simply NFL Cheerleading, is a group of professional cheerleading organizations in the United States.[Geneva, New York
Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...]
aspiring to be an actress or model. Over the course of her stay, Amanda took several acting lessons from Kirby, attended casting calls, and participated in photo shoots.
Additions
*
Alex Lambert
Alexander Don Lambert (born December 10, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter from North Richland Hills, Texas, who was a semi-finalist on the American Idol (season 9), ninth season of ''American Idol'' and starred on a web show, ''If I Can D ...
: Joined the show on April 1, 2010. Lambert is a 19-year-old former
American Idol season 9
''American Idol Season 9'' is a compilation album and contains one cover song from each of the top ten finalists during the ninth season of the television show ''American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition televis ...
semifinalist from
North Richland Hills, Texas
North Richland Hills, commonly known as NRH, is a city inside Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a mid-to-high end suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 69,917 at the 2020 census, making it the third largest city in Tarrant County. In ...
, whose early elimination prompted a petition to get him back on the show. Alex's song "Dream With My Eyes Open" replaced the Elvis Presley rendition of "If I Can Dream" as the show's theme song with Episode 11.
“I Didn’t Know”, a soulful pop song written by Lambert with Nasri Atweh and
Adam Messinger
Adam "Messy" Messinger is a Grammy Award-winning Canadians, Canadian songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist currently based in Los Angeles, California. He is a producer for Canadian reggae band Magic!, but was initially a producer/ ...
, was selected and made into a music video by
Clear Channel and 19 Entertainment, and then released on July 26, 2010, through
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
The
15th Annual Webby Awards selected Lambert's ’’I Didn’t Know’’ music video as an Official Webby Honoree in the Online Film & Video: Best Editing category. On June 26, 2012,
Trouble
Trouble may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin
* ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film
* ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Trouble'' ...
, a song co-written by Alex Lambert and
busbee
Michael James Ryan Busbee (June 18, 1976 – September 29, 2019), known professionally as Busbee, was an American songwriter, record producer, publisher, record label executive, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his work in both po ...
was released on iTunes as
X-Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
finalist
Chris Rene
Christopher Rene (previously René; born December 25, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He was in a band called Diversion and also had a solo career, releasing the album ''Soul'd Out''. Chris auditioned for the fi ...
's second single.
*
Veronica Ballestrini
Veronica Jean Ballestrini (born October 29, 1991) is an Italian-American singer and songwriter. She has released two studio albums. Her self-made success story has caught national attention as Jon Caramanica wrote in ''The New York Times'', "... ...
, an 18 year old participant and winner of the "MySpace Dream Break" contest. She visited the mansion for a weekend and went on a date with Ben.
A couple of weeks after her visit, Michael Herwick asked her to move into the mansion.
During her time at the mansion she recorded her song "Fascinated" co-written with David Kopatz and developed a romantic relationship with Alex Lambert..
Departures
* Amanda Phillips: Couldn't deal with the lack of privacy inherent to the project. As a result, she decided to leave the show on May 8, 2010.
* Justin Gaston: Justin moved out of the house on June 24, 2010. His departure was a "graduation" as he joined ''
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 ...
'' winner
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil Allen (born June 21, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of ''American Idol''.
Prior to ''Idol'', he self-released a 2007 album, ''Brand New Shoes''.
Allen's ...
as a temporary opening act on tour.
He is currently writing in Nashville.
Additional talent
In addition to the Dreamers, the series regularly features appearances by Hollywood actors, musicians, producers, acting coaches, agents and more.
* John Kirby, brother of actor
Bruno Kirby
Bruno Kirby (born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr.; April 28, 1949 – August 14, 2006) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in ''City Slickers'', '' When Harry Met Sally...'', ''Good Morning, Vietnam'', ''The Godfather Part II'', and ' ...
, is a renowned acting coach, having taught such talent as
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. With a variety of works in film, she is widely recognised for her work in romantic comedies and animation. Diaz has received various accolades, including nominations for ...
and
Jim Caviezel
James Patrick Caviezel Jr. (; born September 26, 1968) is an American film and television actor who played Jesus Christ in ''The Passion of the Christ'' (2004) and starred as John Reese on the CBS series ''Person of Interest'' (2011–2016). He ...
among others. He makes regular appearances on the series giving acting lessons to Kara and Ben. He has also given lessons to Giglianne and formerly instructed Amanda.
* Michael Herwick is the executive producer of the show. Making regular appearances, he helps guide the Dreamers with his connections in the fashion, photography, music, and acting professions.
* Caitlin Levin is featured as the house chef. She provides cooking lessons and recipes to the live stream viewers.
* Lindsay Jones is featured in the beginning of the series as the house chef. She provides cooking lessons, plans themed dinners and shares recipes to the live stream viewers. Her recipes can be found on FoodFlirt.com.
* LeeAnn Smith Weintraub, MPH, RD, visited the house to provide nutrition counseling and diet advice.
* Jordyn Mallory, participant and winner of the second "MySpace Dream Break" contest.
Mallory moved into the house for a period of two weeks during which she received complementary vocal, guitar, and piano lessons, as well as the opportunity to write and demo a song written with David Kopatz.
*
Brandon Jones is featured as the house pool technician. He interacts with all the Dreamers, sometimes playing guitar and singing with
Justin Gaston
Justin Michael Gaston (born August 12, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter, model, and actor who was also a contestant on ''Nashville Star'' on season 6. He finished 10th overall out of 12 contestants. He portrayed the role of Ben Rogers on ...
and
Alex Lambert
Alexander Don Lambert (born December 10, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter from North Richland Hills, Texas, who was a semi-finalist on the American Idol (season 9), ninth season of ''American Idol'' and starred on a web show, ''If I Can D ...
.
See also
*
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment is a producer of entertainment properties for television with a focus on music. Founded by Simon Fuller in London in 1985, the company co-produced ''Pop Idol'' in the United Kingdom with Thames Television in 2001. The ''Idol serie ...
*
CKX, Inc.
Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction (formerly known as CKX, Inc., CORE Media Group, Inc. and Industrial Media, LLC) is an American company founded on February 7, 2005, that owns and develops entertainment content and intellectual property.
Histo ...
* ''
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 ...
''
References
External links
*
*
''If I Can Dream''at
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:If I Can Dream (Series)
American non-fiction web series
British non-fiction web series
Television shows set in Los Angeles
2010 web series debuts
2010 web series endings