Upfront Update: E!'s New York Coming Out Party; Syfy's First-Class Affair - Ed Martin

The E soiree in New York City earlier this week proved to be much more than just another upfront bash It was in every way an East Coast coming out party for the Los Angelesbased network which remarkably had never hosted an upfront event or had much of a presence of any kind in Manhattan When I pointed this out to executives from E they were quick to respond that going forward the network would indeed be raising its profile in New York It was perhaps appropriate then that the party took place at the suitably named Gotham HallThat particular venue amp8211 a large round room that used to be a bank amp8211 has never been a favorite of mine but then again I had never been to a party in which that space had been transformed into so inviting an atmosphere A large stage had been constructed in front of which white sofas were positioned around large glass coffee tables The granite walls were draped with white fabric and there were loaded champagne buckets everywhere Omnipresent blackclad waiters offered fine food and drink The cumulative effect was that of being in the kind of cool Soho club at which one might find celebrities like the Kardashian sisters or the Jonas brothers spending some timeAnd that39s exactly what it turned out to be It was impossible to turn around without spotting Kim Khloe or Kourtney or their brother Rob or their mother Kris Jenner and her husband Bruce or Khloe39s husband Lamar Odom or Kourtney39s boyfriend Scott Disick all of them E stars in their own right Kevin Jonas and his wife Danielle were there to support their upcoming reality series Married to Jonas while Nick and Joe who will also appear in the series were there to support their brother and sisterinlawThe celebrity roster extended far beyond the Kardashians and the Jonai also on hand were present and future Elebrities Chelsea Handler Joel McHale Joan and Melissa Rivers Kelly Osborne IceT with wife Coco Giuliana and Bill Rancic Whitney Cummings Nigel Lythgoe and Dina Mrs Clint Eastwood among others Dina was accompanied by a vocal group known as Overtone that she discovered in Johannesburg brought to the United States and now manages They39ll be a part of her upcoming show Mrs Eastwood ampamp CompanyWisely E followed the lead of sibling USA Network which at its party last year produced what I believe was the firstever executivefree upfront presentation in which the stars of a network did all the talking It certainly helped that one of the network39s biggest stars is professional host Ryan Seacrest who introduced the many celebrities in the room and brought a number of them on stage to talk about their shows In a genius move that set the tone for the presentation that followed the first performers to take the stage amp8211 even before Seacrest appeared amp8211 were Nasim Petrad Abby Elliott and Vanessa Bayer three cast members from Saturday Night Live who are known for their wicked impersonations of the Kardashian sisters As they addressed the room each one whinier and squeakier than the other Kim Khloe and Kourtney joined them on stage for a true SNL momentThe E stars kept the infectious energy high as they revealed details about their projects and programs But it was Joan Rivers who raised the roof with her decidedly Rrated remarks Complaining that the network does not serve kosher food at its studios Rivers said she was once moved to cry out quotWho do I have to blow to get a piece of white fishquot She then went on to pitch a reality show for the network that involved doing something nasty to country singer Taylor Swift that will not be repeated here It was worse than what she said about the white fishThe presentation concluded with a performance by Gym Class Heroes but the excitement and enthusiasm in the room were already so strong that a big name band wasn39t really neededAmid all the merriment E also got the word out in very effective fashion that it would be undergoing a major rebranding across all platforms come July 9 and that it would be adding a broader variety of programming to its schedule in the year ahead New shows include a singing competition show from Mr Lythgoe a weekly talk show hosted by Ms Cummings and most excitingly a number of scripted series The network has nine scripted projects in development with executive producers including John Wells and Kevin SpaceyThe networks of NBC Universal Cable continue to ignite the upfront season Last week Syfy hosted what will likely be the classiest event on this year39s busy schedule at the American Museum of Natural History which included cocktails amid massive dinosaur skeletons a presentation by network president Dave Howe that included a bigticket contest the winner received a firstclass around the world trip on Virgin Airlines and a performance by altrock band Young the Giant and a lavish party in the museum39s Milstein Hall of Ocean Life the huge room with the blue whale suspended from its ceiling catered by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson His was the best food of the upfront by far Syfy could have done more with its talent amp8211 I think hot Face Off host Mackenzie Westmore or the sexy cast of Being Human should have welcomed the audience before the presentation began amp8211 but the evening overall seemed to be a huge success and clips during the presentation of the upcoming television seriesgaming hybrid Defiance had everyone talking It won39t premiere until 2013 but it39s going to be one of the hottest media sensations at the 2012 San Diego ComicCon in July

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Upfront Update: E!'s New York Coming Out Party; Syfy's First-Class Affair - Ed Martin

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Ed Martin

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