DW Moffett's Life Is Wild Blog

Hello good people!! Now for this upcoming episode I want you to get your comedy hats
on because we have men in the kitchen and women doing heavy lifting, all to great comic effect.

Basically, Art and Jo switch jobs. Each is convinced that the other’s job is a “piece of
cake” and each finds out the hard way how very wrong they are!!!

Jesse and Mbali are heating things up and Mbali makes Jesse an offer. A
Proposition that he may not be able to refuse and which would mean a huge change
in his life.

Tumelo finally gets to tell Katie how he really feels. CAN YOU SPELL MAKE-OUT
SESSION??

I believe I am somewhere to be found fixing an elephant’s tooth. You know, the glamour of it all.

See you next week!

Cheers,
DW

Hello good people!! Let me start out 2008 by asking your forgiveness. Please forgive me for not blogging about last weeks’ episode! I was busy moving a family of four back to the good old USA from South Africa and you can only imagine how much stuff you accumulate after 6 months on the southern tip of Africa! You don’t even WANT to know how many boxes of incredible, amazing STUFF we shipped back and you REALLY don’t want to EVER have the jet lag I have today.

Note: To go from Los Angeles to South Africa you are in the airplane for 24
hours. That’s just flying time folks. That doesn’t even count the getting off the plane, changing planes, going through customs and all that other FUN stuff that comes with traveling to the other side and other “hemisphere”.

Anyway, with all that going on I missed my blog-deadline and apologize to all of you who have been following along these last few weeks.

So let me get caught up.

This Sunday’s episode deals with some fairly heavy topics. For one, Katie gets an up close and personal look at an AIDS clinic that specializes in teen cases. This disease is wreaking havoc all over Africa and I was very glad that our producers had the guts to take on what is admittedly a tough topic to portray on network television. I think we deal with it fairly and openly.

In addition, Jesse and Mbali’s relationship takes a more serious turn as Mbali basically shows up and says ‘I need a place to stay, it’s not working out with my fiance’. Ooooppppssss! Glad I never got one of those! Especially since the fiance usually shows up and is not all too happy that his girlfriend is staying at YOUR PLACE. Needless to say some fireworks ensue.

As for yours truly, the good doctor is trying to get his giraffes to mate so we can have more animals on the farm. And what’s wrong with that??? Oh and an inspector is showing up to certify our lodge as “green” or not and it is driving my wife to a new form of madness!!! Watch Stephanie Niznik spin out as the pressure builds for her to have the “perfect” lodge....she’s great.

That’s it for Sunday....enjoy the show.

DW

I hope everyone out there is having a wonderful holiday season. There are going to be some repeats coming up on the program - so if I repeat myself or end up reposting a blog, that's why. Keep your eyes open for a repeat of the pilot - if you missed it, now's your chance to catch up! Here's what I had to say about that one...


Episode 1 of LIFE IS WILD is, in fact, the “pilot” of the show (edited for the date change - will RE-AIR...) on the CW Network - I'm sure you've already put that on your calendar! As most of you know, many pilots are made each year, but few get the opportunity to continue and to make more episodes. In addition, in many instances, pilots get re-shot, sometimes extensively, in order to accommodate cast changes and script revisions. This was doubly true for our pilot. Both Stephanie Niznik and I were replacements for the original parents in the pilot AND extensive script changes were made to improve the show. I will touch on some of those script changes as I discuss the pilot and as far as the “re- casting” process goes, I have, in my career, been replaced and now I am the “re-placer”. Life goes on and good actors, like the ones no longer with this show, will continue to thrive.

The tough thing about a pilot is that you have to tell a really compelling story (one good enough for a network to want to continue telling) AND you have to introduce a whole army of new characters. I think our pilot does both quite well. It really helps when you have a strong and simple premise to operate from. WE’RE MOVING TO SOUTH AFRICA TO CHANGE OUR LIVES. Simple enough. Oh wait. WE’RE MOVING TO SOUTH AFRICA WITH TEENAGERS AND SO OUR CHANGED LIVES ARE STILL GOING TO BE MADDENINGLY AFFECTED BY THEIR TEEN-AGE PROBLEMS. Check.

The classic story of the “fish out of water” never grows old. In our case, it is made more interesting by the fact that the new “water” that our fish find themselves in is populated by the most amazing animals and people you have ever seen. There is simply nothing to be said
about the first time you walk up to and actually touch an elephant. Nothing can describe the feeling of awe and amazement. Nothing. Hopefully that is a sense that the audience will come away with from our first show. Not just how WEIRD everything is for us as we land in Africa, but also how stunned we all are by the sheer majesty of our surroundings. To that point, a scene was written for our “improved” pilot in which the family, just after arriving in Africa, stumbles upon a particularly large wild animal. Check out this scene when you watch the show and let me know what you think.

Just a final word on what to look for in the pilot and, in general, in our show. Look at the landscape, the people, and this world that most of you have never seen before on a network show or perhaps ever and ENJOY IT! And once you've seen it, let me know what you think. I love feedback!

I look forward to your comments and questions and will stay in touch with you throughout the broadcast season.

Cheers from the Northwest Province....South Africa

Dear hard-core and much appreciated fans of LIFE IS WILD!,

How are you all? First of all, a big thank you from myself, the cast and crew of Life is Wild for continuing to support our show in such a consistent way. Our viewing numbers, though small, are stunningly consistent, which means we have found our core audience – that’s you! We are looking for a few more to bolster the numbers but thank you!!! We appreciate your viewership and since all of you have such great taste in programming, feel free to tell your friends, your mom (if you want), your boss (he/she will think you are very insightful to have found such an interesting and beautiful new show) and everyone you know. We want to come back next year and make more tales from Africa for you.

Now, this Sunday’s episode is entitled “The Code” and deals with the issue of the honor code and cheating. It also has perhaps the most beautiful lion you will ever see. He’s a white lion so majestic that he will take your breath away. While Jesse is trying to convince anyone who will listen that he did NOT cheat on a test, I am trying to convince anyone who will listen that we cannot allow two hunters to shoot a white lion that was spotted in our area. I go on a mission to prevent them and put myself in harm’s way in the process and Jesse has to prove to one and all that he did NOT cheat. When all is said and done, the ending might surprise you.

Please let me know what you think and as always, enjoy the show!

All the best to you and yours
D.W. Moffett

Let me say that my family, my co-workers, and everyone we work with here in South Africa are all very thankful for the fans and the wonderful support for this little show we're working on, Life is Wild. We love what we're doing and we're having an awful lot of fun doing it, but it's worth nothing without you, the fans, and we appreciate you.

So this Thanksgiving week, let us wish you all the best for you and your family and express our deep appreciation for your support! We are very happy to have you as part of what we're thankful for this Thanksgiving!!!

All the best,

DW

Hello good people and thank you for your continued support of that 'little engine that could' called LIFE IS WILD.

This week’s episode deals with love and marriage and we have a giraffe and an elephant falling in love. No really. And there's a couple that comes to our lodge to get married and gets INTERRUPTED by an old flame....on a motorcycle. He must be the bad guy....but don’t girls always like the bad guys??? Oh my what will the girl do????

I want you to keep a special eye out for the wedding scene at the end. I think it might be one of the more beautiful shots/locations we have devised on this show and that is
saying a lot with all of the beautiful shots we’ve already put together! I can’t wait to see it myself.

Hope you enjoy the show and I look forward to your comments!!

Take care,
D.W. Moffett

Hello all you fine people who continue to support the ONLY American broadcast television show currently shooting in the Republic of South Africa! Thanx for showing up again last week, and please tell your friends to check us out as we still need to build our audience and prove to our fearless network leaders that we are WORTHY of coming back next year....of continuing to provide you with stories and sights from this beautiful corner of the world.

This week’s episode is chock-full of stuff. A magnificent plane crash...a cliff dive....and in case you’ve never seen one..... A CO-ED SOCCER GAME.....whaaaattt???

Hey, it can’t all be wild animals and plane crashes! Our wonderful star, Leah Pipes, gets to show off her soccer skills and is rumored to be days away from signing with the L.A. Galaxy to fill in for the INCESSANTLY injured David Beckham. She’s got youth and good looks on him...she just can’t compete in the tattoo department!

Oh, and did I mention that most of our cast gets chased up a tree by a hippo? I didn’t? Well it’s true and I hope you enjoy that scene and much more and please feel free to drop me a line at tvguide.com or on my own web-site (dwmoffett.com) and let me know
your thoughts about the show.

Till then,
D.W. Moffett

Hello LIFE IS WILD fans! And while I’ve got you here, let me say thank you for tuning in opposite some vicious competition last week!! Can you say Boston Red Sox sweep the series??!? You’re helping us to keep our heads above water and our hopes for continuing our journey in Africa alive and well.

This week’s episode deals a lot with the young folk in the show figuring out a little about “who they are” in life. It shows what it means to try to be something you’re not and what the consequences are for misrepresenting who and what you are. We have gunfire, our first visit to a jail cell and a very funny dine and dash episode on the streets of Johannesburg.

Dr. Danny (that would be me) has to clean up the mess, LITERALLY, as a wounded cheetah is dropped off at his doorstep and there is a little bit of a surprise at the end. Let’s just say my primary scene partner in the final scene has four legs and spots.

I look forward to your thoughts and comments and hope you enjoy the show.


All my best,
D.W. Moffett

It is I, the absent-minded blogger returned from too much work and too little time to blog. You know, kids and animals... what are ya gonna do? They just take a lot of time to shoot! Lucky for us and for you, it is well worth the wait!

In this week’s episode, you will see a couple of things you have never seen before. (Operation on a vervet monkey anyone?) But my favorite scene is the last one. A wild party in a South African township that I know will be breathtakingly beautiful. When we were shooting the scene, we used a big crane for some overhead shots, and from what I was able to see on the video monitors, it looked more like a high-budget feature film than our humble little show. Made me proud. But then again, it’s hard not to be proud of this show.

Speaking of proud, let me take this moment to thank all of you who tuned in last week to give us our best ratings to date! I hope you enjoyed the show enough to tell your friends. Word of mouth is the best friend any new show has and that is particularly true when you are a new show on a new network so please tell your friends. There is a place you can go every Sunday night that is different and beautiful and interesting.

It would mean a lot to all of us here in South Africa. We are doing the best to bring you stories that you can care about.

Now on to the show. The premise of this week's episode revolves around the different ways our family responds to a national holiday in South Africa. It’s one that was revered by the now-deceased mother of Katie and Chase and it means something different to almost everyone in the show. It is a wonderful way to get a little piece of African history and to get a little more insight into our blended family.

I hope you enjoy this week's episode and I will be more "on it" in terms of keeping you up-to-date with our shoot.

All the best from the Northwest Province of South Africa,


D.W. Moffett

Greetings again from South Africa! I will be blogging weekly to introduce you to our upcoming show and to answer any questions that might have popped up during the intervening week. Thanks for checking in. So here goes!

Episode 1 of LIFE IS WILD is, in fact, the “pilot” of the show and it airs THIS SUNDAY October 7th on the CW Network - I'm sure you've already put that on your calendar! As most of you know, many pilots are made each year, but few get the opportunity to continue and to make more episodes. In addition, in many instances, pilots get re-shot, sometimes extensively, in order to accommodate cast changes and script revisions. This was doubly true for our pilot. Both Stephanie Niznik and I were replacements for the original parents in the pilot AND extensive script changes were made to improve the show. I will touch on some of those script changes as I discuss the pilot and as far as the “re- casting” process goes, I have, in my career, been replaced and now I am the “re-placer”. Life goes on and good actors, like the ones no longer with this show, will continue to thrive.

The tough thing about a pilot is that you have to tell a really compelling story (one good enough for a network to want to continue telling) AND you have to introduce a whole army of new characters. I think our pilot does both quite well. It really helps when you have a strong and simple premise to operate from. WE’RE MOVING TO SOUTH AFRICA TO CHANGE OUR LIVES. Simple enough. Oh wait. WE’RE MOVING TO SOUTH AFRICA WITH TEENAGERS AND SO OUR CHANGED LIVES ARE STILL GOING TO BE MADDENINGLY AFFECTED BY THEIR TEEN-AGE PROBLEMS. Check.

The classic story of the “fish out of water” never grows old. In our case, it is made more interesting by the fact that the new “water” that our fish find themselves in is populated by the most amazing animals and people you have ever seen. There is simply nothing to be said
about the first time you walk up to and actually touch an elephant. Nothing can describe the feeling of awe and amazement. Nothing. Hopefully that is a sense that the audience will come away with from our first show. Not just how WEIRD everything is for us as we land in Africa, but also how stunned we all are by the sheer majesty of our surroundings. To that point, a scene was written for our “improved” pilot in which the family, just after arriving in Africa, stumbles upon a particularly large wild animal. Check out this scene when you watch the show and let me know what you think.

Just a final word on what to look for in the pilot and, in general, in our show. Look at the landscape, the people, and this world that most of you have never seen before on a network show or perhaps ever and ENJOY IT! And once you've seen it, let me know what you think. I love feedback!

I look forward to your comments and questions and will stay in touch with you throughout the broadcast season.

Cheers from the Northwest Province....South Africa

D.W. Moffett

Hello good people!

So, as you have probably noticed, my blogging has taken a real dip (what with me moving myself and the whole family to South Africa and starting to shoot a TV show and all that stuff) but I am here to tell you that that's over. No more Mr. Lazy South Africa!!!! It's time to get back on it and tell you good folks what the heck is going on halfway around the globe. I will fill you in on the fun stuff until we launch Oct. 7 (at 8pm/ET if you haven’t already marked your calendars), and then after we launch I will fill you in on a weekly basis as to what’s coming up in the show and answer any questions you might have. The best place to ask questions would be either at my website dwmoffett.com or at my blog here at TVGuide.com. Thanx for reading all that, and now here goes.

I thought I would share with you two little sequences we just shot that represent the scale of what we’re doing here and how different our show is going to be from most other things you see.

First of all, let’s get to scale. I can’t tell you when the last time was that I stood on a ledge 80 feet above a river. (With no safety harness... please don’t tell my wife.) Oh, wait. Yes I can. It was last Friday. In the scene we shot, my stepson Jesse dares me to go cliff diving with him and like any good stepfather, I agree!!!! (Oh brother!) Anyway, there are actually good parenting reasons that I do agree to such craziness, but that will become clear to you as you watch the episode (No. 5 I think). Sooooooo there I was, 80 feet above the Crocodile River (no, I did not make that name up) in the Northwest province of South Africa thinking, "This is so cool." I mean, you would think I was making some kind of Indiana Jones movie here! And then someone pushed me and then I was flying... no just kidding!! Then the director yelled cut and I leapt weeping into the arms of the stunt coordinator. And then the real fun began.

I got into a canoe and paddled across the river to get a bird's-eye view of three South African stuntmen boldly leap where no man has gone before (Can you hear William Shatner speaking those lines?)... actually, they leapt 80 feet down into the Crocodile River but here is the scary part: Most of the Crocodile River is just 6 feet deep and if you are jumping 80 feet into 6 feet of water, that is going to hurt!! People, are you with me on that??? So, our stunt coordinator, Nic, had got his scuba-diving equipment on (of course he scuba-dives) and scouted the river bottom and determined that there was this little circle of about 15 feet across where the river bottom actually went down to 18 feet and so, hey, now it’s easy. Just make sure you hit the circle or you are going to become a human arrow stuck forever in 6 feet of African river bottom.

Hey, what can I say? My young South African stunt dudes nailed it... twice. You know, the director always wants one more take. But the sheer scope of this stunt was impressive to this veteran of the TV world. And that was just the first half of the day. We spent the second half climbing out of the river (my character actually makes the jump in the show) and scaling the cliff we just dived off of. I sure hope the stunt of Jesse falling off the cliff looks as good in the show as it did live. Unbelievable!!!!

Now let’s get to the difference. How is Life Is Wild going to look unlike anything you have seen on your television set in quite a while? Hmmmmmm... Shall I start with my sitting with my face 6 inches from a cheetah’s? How about giving a bull elephant a tooth exam?

Here’s a short side story. This is the same bull elephant that happens to remember a certain veterinarian (not me) from this part of South Africa who actually performed a tooth procedure on this elephant, and Bully the elephant did not take kindly to the procedure. I noticed this vet, who happens to be our technical advisor for animal medical procedures, kind of slinking around when Bully was nearby. He told me simply that the elephant didn’t like him. Then I asked the animal handler what the deal was and he said, after a good laugh, "Oh, that elephant remembers that Paul messed with his tooth. He’ll kill him if he gets a hold of him." I laughed and said, "No really, what would the elephant do?" The handler looked at me like I was stupid and said, "He’d kill him."

Thank you very much! And this is the same elephant that I am now supposed to do the "pretend" tooth examination on, and he's got homicide on his mind???!!!!

I just had to tell you that story. Now back to the difference. Let me just say this: You will not be disappointed. Check our show out just for the sheer beauty of what you will see. Our cinematographer is a genius (Peter Sinclair) and you could turn off the sound, dim the lights and have an African adventure with just the images alone. I would recommend, however, that you keep the sound on and enjoy it along with the sights, including the menagerie of animals that will keep you amazed and amused.

That’s it for now. I will be checking back in with you in about a week to tell you about our first episode. See you then!

Cheers,

DW

Hey there!

Thought I'd share some details concerning my present journey with you.

This gig is what it's all about. I fell in love with acting because it gave me a creative outlet that I had never discovered before in my life. But I have to say it also became very clear to me that I have a little bit of gypsy in my soul, as actors are often called on to wander. Sometimes very far afield…and, people... South Africa is far afield! I mean that in the best possible way. To all of the people who told me to "be careful" and "wow, it's really dangerous down there," I ask this: Have you ever gotten off the wrong bus stop in Chicago? Or New York? Or L.A., or you-name-it-ville? Johannesburg is an amazingly vibrant city with incredible beauty and style and charm, and just outside of the city, where I happen to work, it's stunningly beautiful.

Go to your world atlases and look up South Africa. Now go to the Northwest Province and go to a place called Hartbeespoort Dam. It's a small lake about a mile away from where we're shooting. That is how far afield I am.

We are shooting at a place called Glen Afric. It’s an old hunting lodge that is now a rather benign game park. Or I should say was a game park, because now it is basically a film studio. Both the American and British versions of this show are shooting here simultaneously. Wait. Back up. Let me explain. There is a British version of this show, too. It is actually the original version and it is called Wild at Heart. The producers of that show came over to Hollywood and said, "Anybody interested in creating a hit show based in Africa?" (the British show is immensely popular in England) and presto... the CW network got interested and so we have Life Is Wild. So where were we?

Oh yes. That’s right. Bottom line, I love the gypsy element of being an actor. I am fortunate enough to have a family that likes it as well, so this long, long journey is paying immense dividends already as a life experience. Forget the fact that I think the show is going to be fantastic. No wait.... Let's talk about the show....

Have you seen a good, high-quality family show on network television in the past few seasons? OK, 7th Heaven was on for a few weeks last year, but what I am trying to say here is that this particular niche in the TV world seems to have been neglected recently, and I think we are going to come charging in and save the day. All kidding aside, I sat down and watched the pilot of this show with my two kids and it was a blast. We all responded to the show on different levels, but Dad, a 10-year-old and a 5-year-old all had a really good time watching this show. And I think shows that provide that kind of family-bonding opportunity are currently missing from most network television schedules. Life Is Wild will fill that gap. And do it well.

Unfortunately, that's all I have time for now. Every time I look through the viewfinder at what the cameras are shooting, I am stunned at how beautiful this country is. I hope that come Oct. 7 you all feel the same way about it.

I will be sharing some on-set adventures/catastrophes when next we meet.

Til then,

DW

Hey everyone!

Hope you're all having a great summer. Me? I'm in South Africa. That's right. I'm filming a new program for the CW Network called "Life is Wild" and I'm playing a dad who takes his family to a game preserve in Africa. Filming is a lot of fun. I'm working with a lot of different animals and...wait a minute! Now that I mention it, it's not that different from filming some of the other things I've worked on!

I hope you're all having a great Summer. I have some pictures of my dressing room and some of the great sights that I'll post on my website soon, so keep watching!

Take care everyone and thanks for keeping in touch!

DW

Well, kids. I hate to say it, but I think the party’s over. Say bye-bye to Palm Springs for the time being. Who knows if we will be back? Who knows if the Hardys will continue their exploits in the desert? And if....well, we all know Cliff will continue to be a raging psychopath right?! Thank you Michael Cassidy for presenting us with a fantastic case study of a narcissistic nutball. And thank you to all the other wonderful actors who made this show such a tasty petri dish of kookiness.

And with that, let’s review where we are and what we might surmise is coming our way in the big, big finale on the 4th of July.

When last we left our little troupe in the hot, hot springs, well, all I can say is WHAT IS CLIFF DOING WITH EDDIE’S MOM AND MORE TO THE POINT WHAT IS SHE DOING WITH HIM?!?! Now, don’t take me for a prude, but even this old dog did not see that one coming! Obviously, this is the grenade that wreaks havoc on our little world.

--Eddie’s mom gets further and further into left field!!!

--What exactly DID Liza hear Greta’s dad Skip and Mrs. Nolan (Eddie’s mom) talking/fighting about?

--Bob and Karen just get downright snarky with each other. Will they make up?

--How many more times can Johnny and Greta make out without causing the heat to spike???

--Why oh why would Cliff EVER think Nikki would take him back after catching him with Eddie’s mom??

--Will Johnny find out who killed Eddie or do we have to wait until our next lifetimes??

--Skip just wants to be a good dad to Greta. Yeah right!!!

--Skip and Mrs. Nolan have a BIG blow-up....uh-oh.

--We find out a little secret about Liza, the garage girl. Maybe she’s not such a goodie two-shoes after all.

And may I just say that after you watch the shocker ending, just remember it has been a real pleasure blogging for you and I will look for you all on the next adventure.

Until then,

D.W. Moffett

Hello there Hidden Palms People!

My, but you continue to be a loyal lot and for that we are going to do something a little different this week.

YOU ALL GET TO PLAY NETWORK EXECUTIVES!!!

As our little show winds down to the finale on July 4, something has been gnawing at me. How come no one ever asks the viewers how they might have done the show differently? Well now is the time to change that!! Enough of me prattling on about how this plot turn is cool and that actor is fun and all that...!!!

Here is the deal. After viewing Wednesday’s two episodes, I stand ready to answer all questions and deal with all comments related to how you, the viewer, would have done the show differently. By that I mean:

1. Would you have done the plot twists differently?
2. Would you have liked to see other actors in the roles? Go ahead! Fire me! See what you end up with.
3. Would you have liked certain elements to have been expanded upon or perhaps not introduced at all???
4. And of course, share anything else that comes to your devious minds!

Finally, I want you all to know that I will get to your questions/comments as much as I can. If I miss a few, don’t take it personally. It just might be a question of time.

Enjoy the show(s) on Wednesday. Remember, two new episodes! And fire away with those ideas!

Till then,
D.W.