November 09, 2005

Wahlberg returns to New Kids on the Block?

Not totally a movie story, but it's a slow day and an interesting tale none the less. Film Stew are carrying the news that Donnie Wahlberg is set to revist his early years at school on television.

...would focus on his growth into pop music as a direct result of having been bussed into mostly black public schools in Boston in the 70's…a circumstance that introduced him into music and cultures he would never have been exposed to otherwise. Wahlberg is planning to executive produce, but remain off camera on the project.

To his credit, he initially scoffed at the idea of going back to his adolescent fame, until he realized that the controversial desegregation years in Boston schools would be part of the broader story...

...Wahlberg says this project is part of his new direction. After seeing his television projects Boomtown and NY-70 go down the tubes, he says he is determined to create his own opportunities, rather than just be an employee for other producers.

So it's not so much New Kids on the Block, but Donnie's growing up in the segregated schools. I think this might make for an interesting project. I'm also disappointed in US and UK television, and this is just another example of their mishandling. I really like Boomtown, and when it came to the UK it was totally mis-scheduled, thrown about and thrown on late, yet it was a really good show and a clever way of developing a story through the standard episode format.

All that aside, I like Donnie as an actor too, and I've said before I rate him over Mark. I'd definitely like to see him in front of the camera again, shame this time he's not going to be.


Posted by at November 9, 2005 05:57 AM


Comments

Donnie Wahlberg is a hell of a fine actor. This is coming from someone who hated, HATED, even loathed NKOTB.

His performance in Band of Brothers was rock solid. Boomtown, one of the best shows NBC has put on the air in the last five years, tanked but I don't think it was because of the excellent writing and acting! I think the "Firefly Effect" happened here, with a network moving a show around too much and not promoting it enough. If they would have put Boomtown on a good Tuesday or Wednesday spot and left it there for a year or two, NBC would have a great replacement for aging ER today. I keep hoping that I can see Donnie is something else good on network TV. Perhaps team him up with some of the other great talents from BoB? Or perhaps a good HBO show?

Posted by: JJ at November 9, 2005 12:25 PM