Good news everyone, I just received word that our CSI spoof “C.I.S. – Chaoten im Sondereinsatz” will be broadcast on February 21 at 8.15pm on RTL. I hope you’ll have fun!
UPDATE: Well, I have received conflicting information that the aforementioned airdate has been pulled again. I’ll try to figure out what’s going on.
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Category: NewsSqueeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Ahem. Sorry about that. Well, despite hell not freezing over (as far as I know), I can finally report that a project I am involved with has been recognized with an award – and a good one as well: “Der Lehrer” won the German Television Award (it’s the equivalent of the Emmys with less glamor, prestige, and categories (especially for writers)) in the Best Television Series category. I’m really excited about it, especially since “Der Lehrer” is one of my favorite projects and I am really honored to have been working on the show. It’s also noteworthy that until two years ago, the Television Award had a Best Sitcom category of its own but either the lack of sitcoms or the lack of good sitcoms made it disappear, which means that “Der Lehrer” not only had to compete against other sitcoms but every other new television series out there. All the more reason to celebrate, which I will do now. By going voting for the Bundestagswahl. Which you should do, too, by the way. If you’re eligible, that is.
Well, what do you know. Not even a week after the nomination for the German Television Award another set of nominations roll in for projects in which I have been involved: “Der Lehrer”, the sitcom which will finally start airing after a two year wait, is nominated for the German Comedy Award in the best sitcom category. Additionally, “4 Singles”, a sketch comedy show for which I wrote, is nominated as best sketch show. Congratulations to all involved and all other nominees, especially “Böse Mädchen”, which is another Sony Pictures show (but one in which I am not involved).
Good news everyone, the nominations are out for the German Television Award and I am extremely pleased to tell you that “Der Lehrer” has been nominated as Best Television Series!
Congratulations to everyone involved and to all the other nominees!
Folks, sorry for being so long but I’ve been on a four week vacation and didn’t want to advertise an empty apartment to the world. Well, now you know, and by the way, it’s been great!
Of course, four weeks means there’s a lot for me to catch up to, so let me try to bring you up to speed:
Post production of C.I.S. is coming along nicely. I have yet to see the material but I hear it’s hilarious.
Filming of Sechserpack VII has wrapped. Eight of the thirteen episodes will be broadcast beginning Friday of the next week (September 4th, 2009), with two episodes back to back filling the 10.15 pm-11.15 pm time slot. We don’t know yet when the remaining five episodes will be broadcast but of course I’ll keep you informed.
While I was away, “Der Lehrer” finally made its debut on the air and made quite an impact. The ratings are satisfactory and the feedback I got personally is raving as well, even though critics seemed to have a hard time with it. Sadly, the whole thing will be over next week already (again, eight episodes/two back to back), so the audience won’t even have a chance to get used to the show. Not that it has to: The odds of renewal are minimal at best, with the episodes being more than two and a half years old and the ratings solid but not through the roof. Still, I’m glad it’s out there, and I’m still proud of what we achieved.
The DVD box sets of “Mein Leben & Ich” seasons five and six and of the one and only season of “Herzog” have hit the store shelves and are hopefully flying off them. I don’t get any statistics but at least the feedback that reaches me is, again, very positive.
There’s probably a lot more that has just slipped my mind or has still to come to my attention, but for now this is all I can think of. I am equally behind with my email so to everyone who contacted me: I am still working through my inbox, so I probably did get your email and you will get an answer within the week. Thank you for your patience.
Well, it’s officially over. Filming, that is. Principal photography of “C.I.S. – Chaoten im Sondereinsatz” ended yesterday evening at a correctional facility in Moers, Germany. But as most of you know, the movie’s far from done. Post production kicks into full gear now, with editing, adr, visual effects, scoring, and about a hundred other things still waiting to be done. It’ll probably be another two months before we have a first complete print but judging from the dailies it’s going to be well worth the wait. In almost a decade of watching my material transform into moving pictures I have rarely seen dailies that were as good looking and funny as these and if nothing goes terribly wrong on the way to the finish line, this movie is going to be a blast!
This seems to be the month of good news, so let me share another one: “Der Lehrer” (the teacher), a single camera comedy series shot in 2007, finally has an airdate: The first (and so far only) season will be broadcast weekly on Monday nights, beginning August 10, at 9.15pm on RTL.
That this show finally sees the light of day means a lot to me. It’s been one of my favorite projects to write for. The subject, the difficult situation of teachers and schools in current times, was relevant when we wrote it and is not a bit less relevant today because, frankly, our school system sucks. Big time. This show won’t change any of that but what it can do is raise awareness, and in a funny and emotional way.
I sincerely hope that this show finds an audience. And a broad audience it could have, since it concerns teachers and children and their families alike. And dammit, it’s funny! So don’t be alarmed that the network took almost two years to put this show on the air. Give it a spin, and if you like it, spread the word. Not only for me but for the other writers involved, Peter Freiberg, Thomas Koch, Berthold Probst and Oliver Welter. And for each and everyone in front of and behind the camera who were involved in this project with all their heart and soul.
Well, I’ve been teasing you quite a lot, especially on twitter, because quite honestly I thought the news would break sooner. Well, finally it has happened and I proudly present to you the latest project I’ve been working on:
C.I.S. Chaoten im Sondereinsatz – a comedy movie spoofing the CSI series and all things criminal with a myriad of cameos by German tv personalities and references to current tv shows and genres.
I wrote the script with my colleagues and partners in crime Berthold Probst and Oliver Welter. We tried to write in the best tradition of the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker-movies, creating a functional and involving dramatic storyline before adding the comedic elements.
We ended up with a script that sold like hot cakes and attracted major talent, with pop star Sasha in his first leading motion picture role.
The movie starts shooting tomorrow in the Cologne area for RTL and is targeted for a winter TV release.
More on the web:
To all fans and those soon to be: The edgy comedy series “Herzog” will soon make its debut on DVD – and this time, you’ll get to see more than just three episodes!
Get a sneak peek at the cover here:
http://forum.cinefacts.de/196273-nils-ruf-kamikaze.html#post6190491
I’ll update with the release date as soon as I can confirm it.
Update:The DVDs are scheduled to be released on July 13, 2009.
Update 2:The release has been pushed back to August 21, 2009.
Great news: The network just greenlit the tv-movie that I wrote with my colleagues Berthold Probst and Oliver Welter last year. I can’t go into specifics just yet, but it’s been our first 90min project and not only did it sell immediately but it’s actually going to be produced. Huzzah!
I’ll update with details as soon as I get them (and am allowed to share).
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