One couldn’t help be, um, green with envy as you walked in to the CW’s lavish launch party Monday night through a tunnel of young models who were on hand just to remind you that every one on the new network is better looking than you.
But the soiree had substance behind the style, as the new network transformed three blocks of a Warner Bros. Studio outdoor set into a gigantic shin-dig (okay, that word is not cool enough for a CW story) with everything from an outdoor pool hall to more good looking people walking around passing out mini-donuts. I didn’t risk the disapproving look I thought I’d get if I reached for a donut, so you’ll have to ask someone else if they were any good.
And when it was time for the big presentation, virtually the entire lineup of CW talent took a big stage, while three members of the Blue Man Group showed up to join network president Dawn Ostroff in officially launching the new network as execs including Nancy Tellem and Peter Roth looked on.
While two of the Blue Men threatened to spray-paint the third green (not gonna happen, those Blue Men have strict rules…no, seriously, I hired them for an event once and they don’t mess around), Ostroff pulled a big lever that officially kicked off the new network.
As confetti and streamers shot into the sky, I overheard an unnamed exec wonder aloud how many episodes of a MyNetworkTV telenovela they could produce with the budget of Monday night’s party.
I guess as the new CW marketing campaign would say: “Free to be Catty.”
By Ben Grossman
