Michael Vick has a reality TV project with BET
When you’re a celebrity who has messed up or is in need of a career boost, the antidote is the reality show.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Michael Vick is partnering with BET for an eight-part docu-series scheduled to air early next year, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Tentatively titled “The Michael Vick Project” the show willl spotlight his comeback with the Philadelphia Eagles and deal with his past, including his childhood and his 2007 arrest for funding a dogfighting ring.
“I just want people to really get to know me as an individual,” Vick said last week in an interview from his home in Philadelphia. “What I want to do is change the perception of me. I am a human being. I’ve made some mistakes in the past, and I wish it had never happened. But it’s not about how you fall, but about how you pick yourself up.”
According to the article, while the producers say the Humane Society, which has adopted Vick to help battle dogfighting, approves of the project, the folks at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals aren’t delighted by the idea.
“People who abuse animals don’t deserve to be rewarded,” said PETA spokesman Dan Shannon. “They shouldn’t be given multimillion-dollar contracts . . . or given the privilege of being a role model. We don’t believe Michael Vick understands the seriousness of his crime. I think he’s sorry he got caught, but only time will tell if he’s truly remorseful.”
The producers say the tone of the show will be serious and somber, looking at his struggles since his release, like the strains on his relationships with his fiancee and his children. The show will also go to the federal prison Vick was in and the Virginia property where the dogfighting ring was housed.
“This show can be a blueprint for so many kids,” Vick said. “I want to show them that things are going to happen, that they’re not going to get through life without dealing with some kind of adversity. I want to show that if they have a fall from grace, this is how they can turn it around. We want this to be a story of hope.”
Another interesting note: BET’s new entertainment chief, Loretha Jones, says the Vick project is part of the network’s new branding strategy, which is family values, cultural uplift and community pride. She says she was interested in working with Vick when she found out he was being released from prison.
“I did not reach out for this show in order to court controversy,” said Jones. “That’s not where we’re taking the network. . . . It’s important for us to capture this important moment to see what someone does when they have the opportunity to rebuild themselves. It might serve as a road map for young men facing the same challenge.”
The series will not downplay Vick’s notorious past, she says.
For his part, Vick asks folks to give him a chance.
“All I can ask is that people are receptive and come to this with an open mind,” said Vick. “I can’t change the past, I can only change the present. I know there are people who can’t forget what I did, but I hope they can someday forgive me.”
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
