Double vision - April 1, 2007

It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; but like all generalisations, the adage does not hold true for everyone. Consider the fuss kicked up by Endemol, trying to live up, once again, to the English pronunciation of the surname about L-Ispjun.

Back in 2001, the Russian television station TV6 aired Behind the Glass, a reality show in which six men and women between the ages of 21 and 24 lived in a prototype glass house, filmed by 26 cameras. Pedestrians could see inside the bedroom, living room and bathroom through one-way mirrors, upon payment of 20 roubles; security guards protected the glass. End Them All was not pleased.

In 2001, Brazil's Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (SBT) aired Casa dos Artistas, and this was dogged by controversy; the question about whether or not a cellular phone was used during the transmission by the "protégé" of the person behind the production, was the least of the worries.

Court cases, or threats of them, have been dodging the spate of reality shows that hit the airwaves every so often (including the twist-reality debacle where the one woman chosen by all six men on a panel turned out to be a pre-operative transsexual).

What I cannot understand, however, is how L-Ispjun has been accorded the attentions of a judicial protest from Endemol when Mhux Grande Fratello was not. Neither, for that matter, was Kilò - but this is perhaps understandable, since the participants are allowed out of their four walls every so often. I did have a good giggle, however, when I read that the company intended to sue Watermelon Media & Communications, broadcaster TVM and Melita Cable for breech of "intellectual" property rights.

There was also the tiny matter of the "new idea" on Xarabank. The part where people sat at a table, discussing hypothetical case studies, smacked of Anonimi (One) a self-explanatory title that 'allows' people to 'confess' problems without necessarily divulging their identities.

Perhaps because they have a bigger budget, perhaps because their imagination works on a different plane, but Joe Azzopardi and WE? livened up the proceedings by including drama clips of the situations under discussion, and increased the number of participants talking about the "what-if" scenario.

The French tell us that the more things change, or are altered, the more they remain the same. And I dare say that such is the 'scenario' here, too.

I understand that the PBS Programme Statement of Intent is causing people sleepless nights about whether or not the entity has once again become a closed shop, i.e. whether it is actually worth, these days, doling out Lm5 per application on the off chance that one's brain-child will be nurtured for at least 13 weeks.

I am told that several people think that TVM is out of their league unless they have the backing of a company, and consequently the necessary equipment to create in-house shows, and the money to be able to purchase air time. But we have seen, year in, year out, that is not a foregone conclusion, but just a blame game.

And then there's Life on Mars, a BBC cop caper meets sci-fi in which, after a near fatal car accident in 2006, the 'hero' Sam wakes up, dazed and confused, in 1973. Or so he thinks; but has he travelled back in time, is he dreaming it all, being in a coma, or has he cracked up?

Be that as it may, Philip Glenister, star of this series, has gone out of his way to bite the hand that feeds him by labelling British television as "depressing, cheap, dumbed down, run by fools, and obsessed with fame instead of talent." Could it be that he is simply 'frustrated' by the BBC's constant attempts to cut the drama's budgets?

In an interview with Radio Times, he said: "There's so much cheapness, with this reality stuff. Someone makes big bucks at someone else's expense, and it's the sadistic element of shows like Big Brother I find so cruel." He also vowed that he would never work in soaps, "which are only churned out to satisfy market forces" or consider a party in or long-running serial such as The Bill.

His show, of course, was the epitome of quality television. Or, in his own words, "It's so ridiculous, it's appealing."

It is amazing what producers will think of, in order to try and catch viewers. Dirt, in which ex-Friends Courtney Cox plays the editor of a Gossip Rag (hence the sobriquet), did not do well as expected - so enter stage left Ms Cox's real-life best friend and ex-co-star Jennifer Aniston. She was the lesbian editor of a rival tabloid, and the two share a quick yet steamy kiss, calculated top hump the ratings. Unfortunately, this one-off rise in viewership does not guarantee a new season.

The concept behind the series reminded me of a Wow! a life-meets art book by a real-life journalist whose name escapes me, who writes a Hello-meets-News of the World book about the life of a journalist who interviews the pathetically powerful for a magazine. Another case of quasi-plagiarism? Who knows?

And now for the good news. A One TV 74-minute documentary production called Tal-Qadi Stone, by Chris and Maurice Micallef, netted the award for the Best Director - Documentary in the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival earlier this month, competing with another 87 international productions. Last Thursday, One broadcast "the making of" - one hopes that there will be a repeat for those who missed it.

Tal-Qadi is about one of our megalithic temples, in the limits of Burmarrad. The eponymous tablet appears to be a map of the constellations visible at the time it was inscribed.

This documentary will be screened on Sunday at 9.30 p.m., and is the third in a row won by One TV in this festival. The other two awards were the Best Grand Jury award, for Fenici, and in 2006 they won the Best Cinematography Award.