Tuning In

Reality imitates art

Reality television is going on a three-hour tour to find the next Gilligan, Ginger and the Skipper.

Producer Mike Fleiss (“The Bachelor”) is prepping a new version of “Gilligan’s Island” but with a reality show spin for TBS.

The program will feature a group of people who, as the network says, “embody the essence of the characters.” Expect a real-life skipper, first mate, millionaire duo, professor, movie star and Kansas farm girl to be in the mix. They’ll all work together to try to leave the island the producers deposit them on.

Of course, if the ratings go through the roof, their impetus for freedom may wane.

Episodes will be loosely modeled on existing “Gilligan’s Island” plotlines, and original show creator Sherwood Schwartz and son Lloyd Schwartz will serve as executive producers.

The show will premiere by year’s end.

The new “Gilligan” isn’t the only ’60s sitcom producers have tried to turn into a reality smash. “The Beverly Hillbillies” has been in the works at CBS for some time, but Southern viewers complained the show could be demeaning to rural culture. The project, as of now, has no definitive schedule date.

The original “Gilligan’s Island” sitcom ran from 1964 to 1967 and has been thriving in syndication ever since.

Middle East truce

The Israel-Palestine situation may continue to flare, but a documentary set to air on the Sundance Channel tonight sheds light on a tale of reconciliation between members from the two sides.

“My Terrorist,” premiering at 9 p.m., tells the story of a former El Al flight attendant (Yulie Cohen Gerstel) who recovers from an attack by a Palestinian terrorist (Fahad Mihyi) only to lobby for his release from prison.

The 58-minute film, also directed by Miss Gerstel, shows how her efforts drew hostile reactions from her fellow Israelis.

Sacred sounds

Music lovers may soon have an alternative to the alphabet soup of MTV, VH1, CMT and BET.

Two veteran cable executives plan to start the Gospel Music Channel in the fall, providing a TV outlet for a diverse genre that encompasses soulful church music and Christian rock and rap, the Associated Press reports.

The Gospel Music Channel will play mostly videos during the day, while its prime time lineup will feature concerts and biographical sketches.

Charles Humbard, former general manager of the Discovery Networks, and Brad Siegel, former president of Turner Entertainment Networks, are teaming with investors to green light the project. Singer Larry Gatlin is also on board as an executive.

“We look at gospel music as the wellspring of so many forms of music today,” Mr. Humbard told AP.

They aren’t alone in that mind-set.

The duo are in a race with the Charlotte, N.C.-based MP Network — short for “music & praise” — that also is shooting for a launch within the final three months of the year.

Religious music, which accounted for 50 million units sold in 2003, is often underestimated as a sales force. The genre made up only 2.9 percent of the music sold in the United States in 1995, but jumped to 6.7 percent in 2001 and 2002, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Yet those numbers slipped to 5.8 percent last year.

John Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association, said there’s a hunger for this programming, noting the success of “The Passion of the Christ” — which shows the power of an audience interested in spiritual-based entertainment.

“You can get any kind of music on television, pretty much, except for gospel music,” Mr. Styll told AP. “It’s very hard to find Christian music and programming and clearly people are interested in this.”

It remains to be seen, though, whether there’s room for two networks.

The MP Network is going after a narrower niche, concentrating on an 18-to-34-year-old audience, which would leave out old-style, soulful gospel, said Larry Moore, its chief executive.

So far, neither network has commitments from cable or satellite companies to carry it. But Mr. Humbard said the Gospel Music Channel has reached an agreement with Cox Communications, one of the country’s top cable providers, to negotiate space on its individual systems.

The Gospel Music Channel will have its headquarters in Atlanta, with production offices in Nashville, Tenn.

Compiled by Christian Toto from staff and wire reports.