Dr. Dre to star in Apple's first original series

[Shawn Knight]

Rumors swirled late last year that Apple was exploring the possibility of creating its own original programming, possibly to spearhead its streaming TV ambitions. Now, a new report from The Hollywood Reporter claims Apple's first original content is already filming and it stars one of the company's most notable faces.

The six-episode series is said to star Beats co-founder and rap mogul Dr. Dre. Dubbed Vital Signs, the rapper (real name Andre Romelle Young) is also executive producing the show alongside producers Aaron Ginsburg and William Green with Paul Hunter at the helm. Dre has experience as an executive producer, putting out last year's hit Straight Outta Compton which grossed $200 million worldwide.

Vital Signs is described as a semi-autobiographical dark drama. Each episode will reportedly focus on a different emotion and how his character deals with it.

Sources say the series will have no shortage of violence and sex. Filming earlier this week reportedly featured an extended orgy scene with multiple nude extras taking part in simulated sex acts inside a mansion in the Hollywood Hills.

Interestingly enough, the show will be distributed via Apple Music, the Cupertino-based company's subscription-based streaming music service. It's unclear if Apple will simultaneously (or at a later date) put the series on Apple TV or iTunes. As is now common with such original content, the entire season will be released all at once.

No timetable was provided for the show's release although Apple is said to be bullish on the project.

Lead image via Jason LaVeris, FilmMagic

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https://www.techspot.com/news/63806-dr-dre-star-apple-first-original-series.html

 

[captaincranky]

Strike that to read, "Dr. Dre" to star in the 1st Apple series which I'll never watch.

But really, couldn't this entertainment revolution also be described as, "racial pandering", on the part of the mostly white Apple corporation?

Or was it released in conjunction with Tim Cooke's annual, "diversity report". Which very often states, (in so many words), "Apple isn't black, yellow, red, gay, or female enough, but regardless of anyone's actual qualifications, we're trying to make that right". Right on WASP Tim. At least you're of sufficiently ambiguous sexual orientation to muddy the waters where yourself is concerned.....(y)

 

[LiveResistance]

Let me think...NO...I'll pass.

 

[EClyde]

OH boy. No, Oh Brother....

 

[Technician]

Good choice if they want it to be Apples last original series.

Soon the namechange to 'Schizapple' will be complete.

 

[captaincranky]

OH boy. No, Oh Brother....

Whazzup, Yo?

 

[davislane1]

"Sources say the series will have no shortage of violence and sex. Filming earlier this week reportedly featured an extended orgy scene with multiple nude extras taking part in simulated sex acts inside a mansion in the Hollywood Hills."

Keep it classy, Apple. (y)

 

[captaincranky]

"Sources say the series will have no shortage of violence and sex. Filming earlier this week reportedly featured an extended orgy scene with multiple nude extras taking part in simulated sex acts inside a mansion in the Hollywood Hills."

Keep it classy, Apple. (y)

Well, to tell the truth, I find myself inexorably drawn to naked females whose heritage lies between the Caucasus and Ural river valleys, with an occasional excursion to Asia proper.

Accordingly, Apple's "bootyfest", is off the "menu", so to speak.

 

[Technician]

"Sources say the series will have no shortage of violence and sex. Filming earlier this week reportedly featured an extended orgy scene with multiple nude extras taking part in simulated sex acts inside a mansion in the Hollywood Hills."

Keep it classy, Apple. (y)

The only shortage it will have is audience.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Sounds almost as bad as that tacky new YouTube Red original series...

 

[captaincranky]

The only shortage it will have is audience.

Well, I wish I could share your optimism. I imagine its viewing audience will mirror the racial breakdown of Apple TV's audience in general. (Basically, a huge to overwhelming chunk of the African American viewers, along with a ton of wannabes.

During the 70's, we had films such as, "Shaft", and "Foxy Brown", which were derisively labeled, "Blacksploitation Films"

As we're in the "hip-hop era", (dear lord I could almost suffer disco again in lieu of this), the material is quite marketable to a major demographic segment of TV.

If I were to be pressured to create a label for this garbage, (Ouch, stop twisting my arm), it would be, "Blacksploitation for the new millennium".

The unfortunate fact of rap and hip-hop music, is that the lower echelon of these "artists" have no more demonstrable talent than the target audience, and share the same huge chip on their shoulders as well. The difference is, (IMHO), the artists have pushed more crack & heroine, and can thus afford much better audio equipment.

With that being said, I enjoy former rappers, "Ice T" & "L.L' Cool J", a great deal more as actors, than as (ostensibly) "musical performers". (So long as they don''t start "talking sheet". (Mercifully it normally isn't written into their scripts)).

 

[cliffordcooley]

It can't be any worse than the Half-time Black-Panthers, that I didn't know anything about till it rolled around on Facebook.

 

[captaincranky]

It can't be any worse than the Half-time Black-Panthers, that I didn't know anything about till it rolled around on Facebook.

Be that as it may, it's both disturbing and saddening, that it's come to comparing our choices in TV entertainment, by being forced to evaluate, "which is worse".

It seems we vote for our elected officials in the same manner. There never seems to be a clear choice of which is "better"' only which candidate to vote against.

 

[Technician]

Television has always been trying to find the lesser of 5 or 6 evils and today there's just a lot more worth avoiding, I used to spend the most time on History Channel, NASA TV, PBS or Sci-Fi. It's been quite a while since I watched the boob tube though.

 

[OneSpeed]

More Steve Jobs movies (chime in the cowbell).