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Post by doncey on Aug 18, 2014 9:56:46 GMT -8
So I signed up for the utopia passport, and received an email as follows
Dear bobby, Welcome to Utopia! You are now the proud owner of a Utopia Passport. Your Passport unlocks exclusive access to a brave new world!
Click here to confirm your email address.
Your adventure begins here.
Your opinions are very important - throughout our social experiment, all Passport Holders will be able to vote on which Utopians should be replaced. Can you handle that power?
Log on to utopiatv.com at any time to keep up to date with all the latest happenings in Utopia.
Cheers, Team Utopia
What caught my eye was "vote on which Utopians should be replaced" does that means replaced as in the positions they hold? or out right. If they are replacing them all together, not sure I'd like that. I kinda thought the big idea was the time of the stay, 1 year! If they are changing them out throughout the year... hmmm
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Post by doncey on Aug 18, 2014 18:14:54 GMT -8
As "Big Brother 16" winds down this summer, live-feed watchers can seamlessly transition into a new show that will provide 'round-the-clock coverage online. FOX's new reality series "Utopia" will launch its live feeds on Friday, Aug. 29 and now Zap2it can be the first to reveal the price to those of you that are thinking of signing up.
The premium live feeds, which will provide ad-free 24/7 access via four HD streams will cost users $4.99/month. There is also a free version, which will provide limited access to two HD streams and they will not be ad-free. Both free and premium users will be able to vote for which Utopians enter and exit the society.
Free passport sign-up is available now. "Utopia" premieres Sunday, Sept. 7 before moving to Tuesdays and Fridays on Sept. 9 and 12, all at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX. Photo/Video credit: FOX
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Post by Steph on Aug 19, 2014 22:18:05 GMT -8
A year is insane!! I think I will be taking a break between BBUS and BBCan or I will burn out lol Is the concept of the show kind of like BB? I have never heard of it.
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Post by doncey on Aug 20, 2014 9:53:47 GMT -8
Today, we got a bit more info as well as some Photos! w00t! PARADISE FOUNDERS? Big Brother creator John de Mol's newest televised social experiment Utopia, premiering on Fox with a three-night event starting Sept. 7, features 15 total strangers who are taken to a remote location (read: the middle of nowhere, U.S.A.) and challenged to create their own ideal community. Based on a wildly popular Dutch show of the same name that debuted earlier this year, the contestants will be followed 24/7 by more than 100 robotic cameras as they try to build their utopia with little to no resources (no bathrooms, no beds, for starters). As on Big Brother, there will be eliminations, but there won't be any challenges or competitions or a prize (however, in a unique twist, contestants deemed nonessential can be nominated for elimination by the Utopia community and audience online, and be replaced by newcomers). Casting was ''99 percent of the challenge,'' says executive producer de Mol. ''This was an extra difficult casting process because you needed the right characters, but also the right skills. You want the group of people to have a fair chance to survive—you need someone in the 15 who knows about construction, about electricity, about water pipes; there has to be at least one medical person in case someone gets hurt. You need one person in the 15 who knows how to deal with it.'' More than 5,000 hopefuls applied—here's who made the cut.Interesting,... If you'd like to check out the photos of the new utopians, you can find then here. Feel free to leave your first impressions as well. donceysbigbrother.proboards.com/board/36/cast
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Post by doncey on Aug 22, 2014 7:46:00 GMT -8
Little more info from the Utopia site.
Fun facts we’re excited to share with you!
Once we flip them on, our 24/7 live streams will never switch off. Each new day will generate over 280 hours -- or 10TB, digitally speaking -- of footage.
We can’t stress this enough: In Utopia, there are no rules. This is a true microcosm, independently alive, its test subjects making everything up as they go along.
No production crew will be inside Utopia at any time -- just 129 high-definition robotic cameras operated in a control room far away from the Utopians. Producers have curated the environment, but no one can accurately predict the experience. We’ll all be watching this human ant farm take shape together.
Even without cameras, our year-long sequester would be an unheralded social experiment. Throwing 15 outspoken Americans into a giant sandbox with no fixed agenda other than “Build something great!”? That’s madness!
Speaking of which: Inside Utopia’s “water tower” is a massive camera providing LED moonlight.
There’s no prize. Utopia has no “goal” save what its members decides on, together.The cows are so vital to the community, they’re practically main characters.
It’s the birth of a new society... and maybe new life. One of the First 15 is pregnant!
Participants could easily hop Utopia’s low-slung fences -- yet they can never leave.
YOU, however, may enter! If the Utopians decide to host public events, Passport Holders are welcome.
Casting is ongoing! Our regular replacement process means Utopia will constantly be seeking fresh blood -- and it could be yours...
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Post by doncey on Aug 22, 2014 7:50:12 GMT -8
So, I wonder if they are going to be getting outside food deliveries at all. I mean, they have to, right?
Your complete guide to the plants of Utopia.
Fifteen very loud humans are about to move in on August 29 -- but what about the site’s pre-existing strong, silent types? Our expert plant masters have been busy tilling the soil and sowing the seeds of a new civilization. You won’t see them all right away, but trust us -- crops are croppin’ up! Or they will be, provided the Utopians realize it’s up to them to keep their new home from becoming a barren wasteland. The full ledger of Utopia’s plants suggests that our pioneers won’t be gobbling up eclectic fruit salads right away. They’ve got pomegranates to start, but their oranges won’t grow until the winter. The apricots aren’t scheduled to bloom until May. In the meantime, Utopians may not even realize they have apricots. Would you? Wow, you’re smart. Utopia looks beautiful, and it’s in no small part because of this impressive floral arsenal. Caesalpinia gilliesii (bird of paradise bush, has medicinal properties) Cercis occidentalis (western redbud, can be used to weave baskets) Leonotis leonurus (lion’s tail or wild dagga, known for medicinal and mild psychoactive properties) Leucadendron safari sunset (red cone bush) Lyonothamnus floribundus (California evergreen tree) Myrica californica (Pacific wax myrtle) Myrtus communis (common myrtle) Prunus illicifolia (evergreen cherry) Sambucus mexicana (Mexican elderberry) Grevilliea noellii (hummingbird bush) Pennisetum fireworks (purple fountain grass) Pennisetum spathiolatum (slender veldt grass) Penstemon spectabilis (colorful tubular flowers on tall spikes) Salvia clevelandii (California blue sage) Salvia greggi (pink autumn sage) Salvia greggi (red autumn sage) Salvia leucantha Santa Barbara (Mexican bush sage) Salvia mellifera (black sage) Ipomea vine (morning glories) Solanum jasminoides (white potato vine) Calliandra (powder puff vine) Buddleja Black Knight (butterfly bush) Buddleja Pink Delight (butterfly bush) Arctostaphylos Howard McMinn (pink-flowered shrub) Rosmarinus off prostratus (creeping rosemary) Lavandula stoechas (lavender shrub) Miscanthus sinensis Zebrinus (Japanese silver grass) Pennisetum setaceum Cupreum (red fountain grass) Ceanothus Ray Hartman (mountain lilac shrub) Dodonea viscosa purpurea (purple-leafed hop bush) Tecomaria capensis (Cape honeysuckle) Viburnum suspensum (evergreen shrub, produces berries in fall) Pyracantha f. Graberi Bush (red-berried firethorn) Rhamnus a. John Edwards (Italian buckhorn shrub) Plumbag auriculata (white flower bush) Osmanthus fragrans (tea olive bush) Laurus nobilis bush (large shrub with green, glossy leaves) Leucophyllum f. compactum (evergreen shrub with pink flowers) Hesperaloe parviflora red (red yucca) Distictis buccinatoria (red trumpet vine) Distictis rovers (royal trumpet vine) Trachelosperum jasminoides Staked (star jasmine) Grewia occidentalis (lavender starflower) Rosa Banksiae Lutea (Lady Banks yellow rose) Rosa Banksiae Alba Plena (white root rose) Orange King staked bougainvillea Barbara Karst staked bougainvillea James Walker staked bougainvillea White Genoa fig tree (year-round) Orolanco grapefruit tree (Dec-spring) Page mandarin tree (Feb-May) Dancy mandarin tree (March-Apr) Gold Kist apricot tree (May-June) Dorsett apple tree (Jan/Jul/fall) Mex Pea guava tree (fall) Hass avocado tree (Feb-Oct) Eureka lemon tree (year-round) (2) Sweet pomegranate tree (late summer) (2) Granada pomegranate trees (Aug) (2) Valencia orange trees (Apr-Oct)
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Post by doncey on Aug 27, 2014 7:20:39 GMT -8
Utopia Executive Producer Jon Kroll graced us with an interview during his extremely busy pre-season preparation for the new ‘sure to be a hit’ FOX reality series.
If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard the buzz about FOX’s new reality series Utopia, then this is the one article you need to read to get caught up. Not only does VOICE OF TV have all of the info, but we have the “inside scoop” on everything from the popular theme song to the “secret, off-camera room.” If the Dutch version of this show is any indication of how wildly popular Utopia will be, then FOX has a mega hit on its hands which will draw more viewers than anyone thought possible. I’m telling you…this is THE show to watch from the beginning this season (and beyond)!
I think that the content is going to be so much more different from what you’ve seen on anything that is called a reality show…
First, a little bit about EP Jon Kroll. Jon himself was raised in a Utopia of sorts. When he was nine years old, around the Vietnam War era (1971), his parents up and moved the family to a commune in sunny CA. Jon was raised in this self-sufficient utopia created by a group of philosophical educators with no TV, phone or electricity… and pretty much off of the grid until he left for college at the age of 18. So, when Jon approached Creator John de Mol and his Talpa Media (creator of The Voice), he felt an instant connection with the idea and told him that although he doesn’t know how to CREATE an actual utopia, he certainly knows what can go wrong. John and Jon had worked together on Big Brother so it seemed like a good fit.
So, here’s our interview with EP Jon Kroll and all of the information that you need to know about FOX’s U.S. version of Utopia!
The show was launched in the Netherlands last January and has been a huge success, to say the least. How does the U.S. version differ from the Dutch version and is there anything you changed in the format that did not work in the Netherlands?
Jon – We’re really embracing the format from the Netherlands, we really think a lot of things are working there, and their ratings track record speaks for itself. The changes that have been made are more practical due to the television landscape and the physical environment. In the U.S., doing a half hour a night, 5 nights a week is just impractical for a prime-time TV broadcast because there is so much competition for that time on each network. So airing twice a week…it creates different rhythms for the show, and different patterns. The other big change is environmental. Utopia Holland was launched on New Year’s Eve in Northern Europe and it was freezing, so, the first order of business was getting heat. We are launching during southern California’s fire season and it’s blazing hot out here in Utopia. In Holland, they built a workshop indoors and for the first few months they were largely indoors. Here, it’s late summer, early fall and we have this beautiful plot of land with gorgeous CA live oaks. We have a lake and waterfall and it’s much more of an indoor/outdoor environment.
The theme song in the Dutch version of Utopia is Miss Montreal’s “Say Heaven, Say Hell.” Will you be using that some song for Utopia in the U.S.?
Jon – We are using a version of the same theme song. It has just been recorded by a major U.S. artist, and we’re super excited about it. (More info to come). We love Miss Montreal’s version but we wanted to change it up for the American audience and the opportunity came up for us to do it with a major U.S. artist, so we jumped at that…and its super cool!
In the premiere of the Dutch episode, there was a holographic table which was really cool. Will you be using that in the U.S. version?
Jon – There will indeed be a hologram exposition feed.
So, in trying to create this Utopia, what makes you think that the pioneers won’t just fall back into what they know…a democracy, the system of trade and currency, felonious activity?
Jon – From the very beginning, that’s been part of our concern and casting is everything. We want people who have extremely diverse opinions and points of view and perspectives of what Utopia is because the beauty of the show is that Utopia is subjective. But we also want people who are not so set in their ideas that they are unwilling to listen and they can’t find common ground with someone with diametrically opposing views. There will probably be some of that, but my guess is that those who stay for the long haul and aren’t asked to leave by their fellow Utopians, will show a little flexibility, even if they come from a very different point of view from their fellow Utopians.
Tell me about the elimination process. How often will there be an elimination, what will prompt elimination and can the pioneers have the option of NOT eliminating anyone?
Jon – It’s a really interesting question and we’ve talked about that quite a bit. We feel that it is important to have there be a continuing ebb and flow of the people in Utopia. I can tell you, from my own upbringing, we had weekly meetings and about once a month, someone was asked to leave and at least once a month, someone would show up and join. And it was a big deal every time someone left and every time someone joined. It is a very important part of the format that the Utopians have to face these kinds of decisions and just not all get together and say, hey, let’s just keeps each other in here, because it’s an easy thing to do. So it (eliminations) IS a part of what they’re asked to do. Once a month they have to pick who they feel is making the weakest contribution to the Utopian effort that the group is trying to do, and they’ll select a group of three or four people who they think are the ones who are problematic towards the group effort, and then they’ll get their choice of two new people who show up and who could make a different kind of contribution, something that might be missing from the group. And the person who’s selected out of those two picks, which one of those who have been selected by the others as being those who make the least contribution, has to leave. It’s a little more layered…but this is not a game show, so we wanted to do it in a way that was a little bit different. We have a large pool of people from the 5000 applicants that we received that are in waiting and know they could be called upon to be replacements either if someone decides to leave the show unexpectedly or as one of the two that come in and would like to join. And we are continuing to do casting to find new people and we fully expect that once they see the show they will want to apply, so that’s an ongoing process, and that’s pretty expansive. We don’t know what’s going to be missing until we start to see them interact and we want to make sure that it’s a vibrant community that has new ideas and new skills and new points of view coming in at all times.
Are the 15 pioneers who were chosen currently preparing together in any way, behind the scenes, or are you just going to send them in “cold?”
Jon – None of the 15 people who have been cast have ever seen or met each other. The casting process was done with everyone in complete isolation with an army of casting people on radios making sure that there was never eye contact made between anyone. They are in isolation right now, being briefed on various aspects of the project.
Can any of the pioneers choose to leave or quit if they’ve had enough, at any time?
Jon – Yes, this is not a prison and anyone could potentially walk out at any time.
In the Dutch version there is talk of a “secret room” where pioneers can go in and chat by camera to a producer or director?
Jon – There is an off-camera room in which they can deal with issues that can range from medical to a family illness or imminent death in the family or such. It is designed to be for super important stuff and not a place for a lot of producer/participant contact.
We understand that there will be some money given to the pioneers for commerce. How does that work and who gets the money at the end since it’s not a game show?
Jon – Well, they need to go in there and create their own economy. If that economy is successful, they can figure out how they’re going to divide the spoils if their economy is very successful. We are trying to leave as much up to them as possible and stay out of it. It’s hard at times because we’re used to controlling our universe a little bit more, but it’s really our goal to stay out of it. They are going to start with a small amount of seed money and they are going to have a phone that can be used for commerce only. They can potentially get internet access.
So, outsiders can come to Utopia to do business, but Utopians cannot leave, even for business?
Jon – Correct. It is a permeable society. They can’t leave, but people can come in for commerce.
Well Jon, I think we’ve covered a lot, is there anything you’d like to add?
Jon – There’s so much to talk about, I wish that I had another month just to sort of warm people up to what we’re doing because it is so different. I think that the content is going to be so much more different from what you’ve seen on anything that is called a reality show simply because the disagreements are not going to be because of alliances or prizes, but instead will be about life decisions and food and sex and relationships and governance. And I think that those discussions will be dynamic and interesting because viewers can put themselves into the heads of Utopians and think, “what would I do?”
We hope that you’ve enjoyed our chat with Utopia EP Jon Kroll. We are more than excited to start coverage! Here are a few more facts for you:
The webcams go live on August 29th. The TV coverage will begin with a special 3 night episode beginning Sunday, September 7th. The show will air on FOX on Tuesday and Friday evenings. There are 129 inconspicuous cameras camouflaged throughout the compound that are recording 24/7. There will be 300 hours of content recorded daily, for over 100,000 hours of material for the year. The Utopian paradise is a 5-acre lot in southern CA, near Santa Clarita. VOICE OF TV is your headquarters for Utopia, be sure to voice your thoughts as well as chat live 24/7 on our Utopia Hub. See you there!
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Post by doncey on Aug 27, 2014 7:33:24 GMT -8
So THIS is what Utopia looks like? A handful of reporters — including myself — were invited up to the Santa Clarita, California ranch yesterday where a group of 15 adventure seekers will attempt to form their own new society on the new Fox reality show, UTOPIA. The production crew has been on site for more than three months planting vegetation, creating a giant man-made lake and building the frames of what will be home to the show’s “pioneers.” Let’s just say it’s a lovely place to visit, but I don’t think I would want to live there. No running water, no electricity… and this is where the participants will, um…relieve themselves. Eventually, the group will be allowed to interact with the outside world and raise money to buy supplies and upgrade their standard of living. Until then, THIS is where they will sleep. THIS is where they will eat… And THIS is they will shower… Food — in the beginning, at least — will likely come from here. This man-made lagoon is stocked with bluegill and catfish. (“We also put a lining on the bottom to prevent ground seepage,” executive producer David Bohnert tells me. “So we conserve water that way.”) And then there are the animals. The pioneers will be responsible for feeding and caring for two cows and a pen full of chickens. “If they elect that they want to kill [and eat] them, it has to be done in compliance with all California [laws] and humane way of doing so,” executive producer Conrad Green says. “It doesn’t make much sense killing egg-laying chickens or dairy cows. But those are the kind of debates they will have to work out as a community. Do they want to pay to feed and give veterinary care to two cows?” The UTOPIA RANCH is equipped with 130 robotic cameras and a control/surveillance center that would make the FBI envious. “Just yesterday, we had people up here doing some of this rehearsal process and they said, ‘Once you are in here, you completely forget about the camera,’” Green says. “So what we will get is a very naturalistic form of story telling.” UTOPIA will premiere September 7 on Fox.
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Post by doncey on Aug 28, 2014 8:29:13 GMT -8
They now have the feed link live on the utopia web site, (no feeds yet) and are accepting registration for the premium passport! I got mine! do you?
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Post by doncey on Aug 28, 2014 12:12:16 GMT -8
No phone, no TV, no conversations. What’s happening in there? UNDISCLOSED HOTEL ROOM--It’s sequester time for our 15 Utopians. This 10-day lockdown period -- from August 19 until move-in day Friday, August 29 -- is sort of like astronaut training, getting Utopians ready for a flight into the unknown that’s like nothing they’ve ever experienced before. You know, washing off the old world and preparing for the new. With hotel soap! They have no TVs, phones, internet, or that other little luxury we take for granted called human interaction. All of this is to ensure that when the First 15 enter the gates of Utopia, they’ll be meeting each other for the very first time. Think a year in the great outdoors is a long time? Try 10 days surrounded by beige, beige, beige. And worse: endless internal dialogue. Sure, there’s a chance one or several of our Utopians might go insane over the next few days, but it’s all in the name of authenticity. Detached from one another (and perhaps more importantly, social media), their reactions to entering Utopia on 8/29 will be totally genuine. No spoilers for them. No prior knowledge shaping the way they conduct themselves. Despite our cows, Utopia is a no bulls#!t operation. So: 10 days removed from all vestiges of society, save travel-size shampoo and a Gideon bible. How would you keep from going crazy?
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Post by kallypso on Aug 29, 2014 6:31:55 GMT -8
They now have the feed link live on the utopia web site, (no feeds yet) and are accepting registration for the premium passport! I got mine! do you?
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Post by doncey on Aug 29, 2014 12:54:48 GMT -8
Jon Kroll @hippykid · 29m OMG! First @utopiatvusa total #Meltdown and we are not an hour old. Wish we were live. #in3hours #ItsGonnaBeALongYear
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Post by doncey on Aug 29, 2014 12:56:55 GMT -8
Jon Kroll @hippykid · 21m Just to catch you up - there will be a BTS #Bombshell BEFORE WE GO LIVE. And then you will hear about the first @utopiatvusa #MELTDOWN
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Post by doncey on Sept 1, 2014 20:51:46 GMT -8
This is a great reference site that Kally found. www.utopiamadness.com/ Ive been checking it out for the last few days as I have been away, and its awesome for clips and to help stay caught up. Thanks Kally!
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Post by kallypso on Sept 3, 2014 8:51:38 GMT -8
YW! I love this cast, they're all interesting! I don't know if they are paired like the opposite: the pastor and the polyamourous who swims naked, the lawyer and the ex convict, the hunter and the vegetarian , the city guy and the country guy.... We had the first couple of days with fights, meetings, a trial, the Goddess circle, the leaders and the followers, Red who is making his own revolution with the Utopia state of freedom ( LOL) ... Sunday is the 2 hours show at 8PM. It s gonna be interesting to know how they edit these first couple of days!
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