(Newser)
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Kevin Spacey has criticized the BBC’s West End reality shows as overt promotions for the musicals they're casting for, the Guardian reports. Andrew Lloyd Webber's popular talent-search series, Any Dream Will Do and I’d Do Anything, sought out new stars for big-budget productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Sound of Music.
Both turned into smashes on the London stage—where Spacey is currently starring in David Mamet's less glitzy Speed-the-Plow. "I felt that was essentially a 13-week promotion for a musical—where's our 13-week program?" said Spacey, also artistic director for the Old Vic theater. The BBC defended the series, saying, "Even though we are casting specific parts, other West End shows are always reflected in the series."
