It’s not a done deal yet, but if screenwriter Danny Riley can find enough local backing, he intends to shoot “Symphony,” a new television series, here, which could bring sweet music to Denver’s cranky coffers.
To take the temperature of community interest (which means ferreting out funding), Riley, who grew his television resume at (Aaron) Spelling Television Inc., will meet with civic and business leaders beginning at 7:30 a.m. May 19 at the Downtown Denver Partnership.
“We came up with an hour-long drama series, which is like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ set against a symphony orchestra,” Riley said. “But trying to drum up interest in terms of financing has been challenging.”
The partnership estimates that this ongoing series would create more than 150 high-paying full-time jobs with benefits and would infuse roughly $1.5 million per episode to retailers, vendors, suppliers, housing providers, caterers, hotels and car- rental companies, among others.
“The producers of ‘Symphony’ plan to spend 90 percent or more of their per-episode budget in the downtown area, and hire or contract with local businesses and professionals,” said partnership CEO Tami Door in an e-mail soliciting meeting participants.
“If they can pull this off, it will be one of the biggest productions in Colorado for many, many years,” said Kevin Shand, director of Colorado’s office of film, television and media. “The downside is that this is a business to them, and as much as they’d love to come here, I know they’re being approached by other communities to film there.”
Colorado seriously lags behind incentives offered by states such as Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico and New York, which lure production companies with pretty-penny packages.
The storyline follows two musicians who come to the United States from England to launch their careers in the world of classical music.
“I would love to make classical music hip and cool the way ‘Glee’ has done in that segment,” Riley said.
Sarah Newman, spokeswoman for the Downtown Denver Partnership, said Riley has been in discussions with city officials since last summer.
“We want this thing to happen,” she said. “It’s an awesome concept.”
Date escape.
Ikea’s new home-furnishings store in Centennial has been so eagerly anticipated for so long that even store officials get goofy when talking about it.
To wit: At Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Ikea real-estate manager Doug Greenholz told an assembled crowd that the store will open in “fall 2001.” Frantic hand gestures and stage whispers ensued from other officials, and Greenholz corrected the timing to fall 2011.
“You know, I’ve been working on this project for so long,” Greenholz said, “that it seems like it should have been 2001.”
Fly with her.
“Inside Edition” host Deborah Norville spent a day in Denver training as a Frontier flight attendant to give viewers a glimpse into the day in the life of a flight attendant. The show airs at 9 this morning on KMGH-Channel 7.
Eavesdropping
on a woman talking to a man while going through the salad bar at the Country Buffet in Englewood: “Just remember, you can eat anything you want, but remember you don’t have your bottom teeth in.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-AM (630). Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
