Win a chance to go to New York

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Do you want to be famous?

If you answered yes, ABC Television might just be able

help you out.

With the unbelievable success of the hit Extreme Makeover and Extreme Makeover Home Edition, the network wants to continue the tradition of upbeat, wish fulfillment-based reality television.

At the last Greenville City Council meeting, Mayor Dexter McLendon introduced two scouts for the network.

They were seeking the perfect small town to profile in a late-summer series, "My Kind of Town."

On Monday, it became apparent that Greenville is now on a short list of towns to be used in the television show when the announcement came that a casting call would be held here.

"I don't know what to think because this came out of left field," McLendon said.

"Of course, we are excited about the opportunity to have some fun. We hope to send our citizens to New York and let them win some prizes.

Use this to show off our our town and show off our citizens."

According to ABC executive Pam Bowen, "My Kind of Town" is a relentlessly energetic primetime studio show in which real American people in all of their imperfect and awkward glory have the chance to become the stars of their own show for one memorable night. Each week, 200 people from one small town come to our New York City studio, where a lucky handful will participate in individualized comedic games and gags for prizes tailored to their own lives, interests and needs. One person from the group of 200 is chosen to play the big end game, where they will shoulder the burden of either winning or losing a huge prize for the other 199 audience members – all of whom they will see every day for the rest of their lives. No pressure!

The initial order is six episodes, with production beginning in mid-July.

"It's a show that's full of comedic surprises" said Andrea Wong, executive vice president,

of ABC Entertainment, "and is just so entertaining, full of heart, that it's a natural fit with – and demonstrates the evolution of - our brand of reality programming."

"'My Kind of Town' is unlike anything else on television," said Davies. "Although it represents an extremely modern and alternative take on the big prize game show, it also combines a throwback to the classic studio variety show of the 1950s with unique comedic elements that involve the entire audience and an entire small town."

There is a casting call being held on from 3:30 to 9 p.m. on June 29. Bowen said everyone who wishes to go to New York to be in the audience should come and fill out an application.

The second casting call will be for people with special talents like singling, walking on your hands, juggling, yodeling, basically if you have a talent, then you should come sign up.

The people of ABC want to see just how badly the people of Greenville want to be on the show, so a good turnout is needed. And that is critical, because there are many other towns being scouted for the show.

"We are scouting in quite a few," Bowen said.

"We are trying to learn about the different towns.

But if we are holding a casting call there, that means we had a great first visit and want to come back and learn as much as we can about the town."

Bowen said you don't have to bring anything with you to the casting call, just yourself.

There is catch, to be eligible, you must live, work or go to school in Greenville.

McLendon said there needs to be a really good turnout at the high school that day.

"I think that is the key is that a lot of people turn out so that our city will be chosen for its excitement and desire to be on the program," he said. "So everyone should come out that day and be sure to bring your neighbors."