ABC has ordered a pilot for Apprentice creator Mark Burnett's The Shark Tank. The new series is not another Damien Hirst art project, as the title may suggest, but a reality series in which aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to moguls (aka the "Sharks") in the hopes of securing some investment capital, the Reporter says.Burnett's version of the series is its second adaption from the Japanese series, Dragon's Den. The U.K. has its own version, which aired its sixth season this summer.Can another Burnett-spawned series stay afloat? — Anna Dimond
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So you wanna teach the world to sing? How well can you come up with your own original commercial jingle or TV theme?That'll be the test in a new reality show expected to air on CBS this summer. Survivor czar Mark Burnett is behind the project where contestants will compose and then perform their own jingles before a panel of judges.Viewers will ultimately select the best jingle, which will be used in an upcoming TV commercial. — J.R. Whalen
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Survivor could be coming to a stage near you. In a new deal, AEG Live will be bringing some of creator Mark Burnett's productions for TV to arena stages, potentially adapting anything from The Donald's Apprentice proclamations to island-style challenges.AEG has already brought the likes of Hannah Montana, American Idol and other shows to the stage, so the Burnett brand is a smart next move. For his part, the reality godfather said, "We have always believed that the next logical stage of development for many of our most popular television reality programs would be live-action events."I'm still trying to picture how rope-swinging challenges, firings and other types of "reality" events will go down on the stage (although the Roman gladiators come to mind) — any ideas? No specific shows have been decided on for the arena versions, says the Reporter, leaving the playing field wide open to interpretation. — Anna Dimond
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Advertisers are still paying integration fees as high as the $2 million per episode to be featured on The Apprentice, but this time around — with celebrities competing in tasks — Donald Trump and Mark Burnett for the first time are cutting NBC in on that haul. "The fact that Burnett is sharing the revenue with NBC is self-explanatory," a major media buyer tells the Reporter. "The show is not what it was. When The Apprentice was a top-10 show, Burnett held all the cards."Task sponsors for the upcoming season include Kodak, Crocs, Dial Yogurt Body Wash (tasty!), Quiznos, QVC, Nederlander, Pedigree and Serta by Vera Wang.
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Comcast's Versus network has bought South Sydney Story, a docuseries detailing Russell Crowe's role as owner of an Aussie pro rugby team, says Variety. The series will air Wednesday nights over five weeks in October and November.... CBS has ordered eight episodes of Jingles, a reality competition from (guess who) Mark Burnett, in which contestants conjure up catchy tunes touting real-life products.... NBC has granted a 13-episode order to Robinson Crusoe, a drama series based on the Daniel Defoe novel and to premiere as early as fall 2008.
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