JERICHO, NY, March 18, 2002 – The power of the gossip machine in Hollywood is featured when AMC debuts its original production, DISH, on Tuesday, May 7, at 10:05 pm. Throughout history studio moguls and publicists have protected their carefully cultivated stars from scandal. But behind the glamorous yet squeaky clean image was a bevy of juicy gossip that stayed buried … until Confidential Magazine shocked and riveted the world by breaking the Hollywood stone wall wide open. Despite a fight that would eventually close its doors forever, Confidential opened a Pandora's box of gossip and celebrity gab that thrives today.
Produced by the multi-Emmy-winning team of John Watkin and Eamon Harrington, DISH tells the real story of how the nasty habits of the stars became big business and how the gossip mill still flourishes today. From the secrets squelched by Hedda and Louella to juicy items carried on Page Six of the New York Post, to entertainment news programs on television and the columns of Liz Smith and Army Archerd, gossip has continued to play a pivotal role in the creation of movie stars and the marketing of motion pictures. Featuring original interviews, including Lauren Bacall, Janet Leigh, National Enquirer columnist Mike Walker, Steve Dunleavy, Liz Smith, Jeanette Walls and Rona Barrett, among others, the one-hour documentary also explores the love/hate relationship between Hollywood and the gossip machine it helped create. DISH tackles the issues that celebrities have long struggled with – remaining private in a public life.
During the early days of Hollywood, armies of studio publicists were dispatched to create and maintain the pristine images of their contracted stars. Studios created fan magazines like Modern Screen and Photoplay to help spread the myth of stardom as an apolitical dream where all the marriages were happy and all the starlets in Valentino gowns were chauffeured to church on Sundays.
DISH also profiles the 1957 Confidential trials. While fanzines caressed the egos of studio executives and celebrities, Confidential Magazine exposed the true stories and secrets of Hollywood's elite. The magazine's editors went to great lengths to uncover the stories behind the "stars," but by the summer of 1957, Confidential was indicted by the California Attorney General's office for "conspiracy to publish criminally libelous, obscene and otherwise objectionable material." The trial gripped the nation as the secret stories of celebrity lives unfolded in a Los Angeles courtroom. As a result of the trial, Confidential no longer published "expose" stories and eventually went out of business.
Since then, the private lives of celebrities are constantly under the microscope of journalists and the need-to-know public. Every move a star makes is photographed, published, criticized and analyzed in tabloid magazines and entertainment shows. DISH asks the questions that have long plagued journalists and celebrities alike – what is gossip? Does the public have a right to know details about a celebrity's life?
DISH is an AMC original production. It is produced and directed by John Watkin and Eamon Harrington of Planet Grande. Executive producers for AMC are Marc Juris and Jessica Falcon.
AMC is a premiere 24-hour movie network dedicated to the world of American film. With one of the finest, most comprehensive libraries of popular films, and a diverse blend of original series, documentaries and interstitials, AMC offers an elegant and contemporary entertainment destination. AMC is a fully distributed network reaching over 82,000,000 U.S. homes (as of Jan. 2002) and ranking #16 in size among all 55 networks.
Since its launch in 1984, AMC has been dedicated to deepening the movie experience for its viewers, featuring film-loving celebrity hosts and an increasingly visible, critically acclaimed slate of original programming. AMC has more than doubled its original programming over the past 3 years and garnered many of the industry's highest honors, including five Emmy awards.
AMC is owned and managed by Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., a leader in news, sports and entertainment programming. A subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC) and NBC, Rainbow manages American Movie Classics, WE: Women's Entertainment, Bravo, The Independent Film Channel, MuchMusic USA, Rainbow Sports Networks, News 12 Networks, and MetroChannels as well as the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. In addition, Rainbow is a fifty-percent partner in FOX Sports Net. AMC is one of the assets included in the Rainbow Media Group tracking stock (NYSE:RMG), a series of Cablevision common stock. MGM (NYSE:MGM) owns a 20% stake in four of Rainbow's national networks – AMC, Bravo, IFC, and WE: Women's Entertainment.