Without Breasts There is No Paradise
Encyclopedia
Without Breasts There Is No Paradise was the working title of an NBC
drama series produced by Universal Media Studios which was to be adapted from a 2006 Colombian telenovela
called Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso
. However, with the departure of NBC Entertainment chairman Ben Silverman
in 2009, it never came to air or even went beyond having a pilot
filmed.
's eponymous debut novel about child prostitution.
In April 2008, Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC, said that "We're continuing to develop it," but he hinted that an English-language version may not be produced. "It's very likely, actually, to go on Telemundo," he said. "Our script wasn't quite ready." NBC has said little about this project since it first announced in mid-2007 and no pilot has been produced. The network announced in June that the series remains in development for the 2009-2010 season - or beyond. The Daily Mail
reported in October, 2008 that the project was still in the works. However with Silverman's departure from the network in June 2009 and the network completely distancing itself from most of the pilots brought in by SIlverman which never made it to series, the project is likely dead and unlikely to be revived by NBC.
Sick of poverty, Catalina decides that plastic surgery will help her find a new life. During her pursuit, she is raped, gets an abortion and dives into the sex trade. She sells her body to raise money for breast augmentation
. After four operations, she loses the will to live, tries to commit suicide, so instead she placed a hit on herself.
's heroine is a "pre-paid girl," which means she sells her services around-the-clock for a set period, hoping to make extra money. The screenwriter says Paraiso highlights an unflattering part of his country: teenagers in the Colombian narco-culture getting the breast implants.
Bolívar says the story is based on real-life conditions facing child prostitutes in the town of Pereira
. There he met two girls who were desperate for silicone breasts. One told him that she got her operation for free in exchange for sex. Unfortunately, the doctor used a pair of used implants, which led to allergic reactions and infection.
bought after being named co-chairman of NBC Entertainment. He named Gary Scott Thompson
, creator of Las Vegas
, as executive producer. NBC would air the program in a style structured like that of the adapted Ugly Betty
, which was also produced under Silverman's Reveille Productions
.
This show's unique name attracted media attention. A New York
magazine writer called it an "almost unbelievably perfect title" and remarked that "TV nirvana has just been achieved." A New York Post
headline referred to a "full-frontal soap." The Charlotte Observer remarked that NBC put its "'breast' foot forward." A Dallas Morning News editorial said NBC will be "without a shred of integrity" if this show ever airs.
NBC Universal
experimented with English telenovelas in the past. In early 2006, it commissioned an English version of El Cuerpo del Deseo
(Body of Desire), which was a hit on sister network Telemundo
. That same year, it inked a deal with a two-year contract with the Los Angeles production company Galán Entertainment to adapt Deseo and other Spanish serials for use on NBC
, Bravo and USA Network
. However with the disastrous launch of the competing new network MyNetworkTV
using a telenovela model in the fall of 2006, these projects never came to even the pilot stage on NBC or NBC's cable networks.
developed the Spanish version
using a different cast and script, and this was the only version of the series to air in the United States.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
drama series produced by Universal Media Studios which was to be adapted from a 2006 Colombian telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
called Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso
Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso
Sin tetas no hay paraíso is a famous Colombian television series, produced and aired by Caracol TV. The show is based on the best-selling novel with the same name written by Gustavo Bolivar....
. However, with the departure of NBC Entertainment chairman Ben Silverman
Ben Silverman
Benjamin Noah "Ben" Silverman is the founder and CEO of Electus, a next generation entertainment studio staked by IAC's Barry Diller....
in 2009, it never came to air or even went beyond having a pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
filmed.
Background
The show was set to revolve around the adventures of a young prostitute, who seeks massive breast implants to attract a rich cocaine smuggler. The Colombian version's final episode scored a record 63 share of the country's viewers. The story originated with investigative journalist Gustavo BolivarGustavo Bolivar
Gustavo Bolívar Moreno is a Colombian author, screenwriter and journalist. He published several books before the best-seller Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso brought him international fame...
's eponymous debut novel about child prostitution.
In April 2008, Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC, said that "We're continuing to develop it," but he hinted that an English-language version may not be produced. "It's very likely, actually, to go on Telemundo," he said. "Our script wasn't quite ready." NBC has said little about this project since it first announced in mid-2007 and no pilot has been produced. The network announced in June that the series remains in development for the 2009-2010 season - or beyond. The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
reported in October, 2008 that the project was still in the works. However with Silverman's departure from the network in June 2009 and the network completely distancing itself from most of the pilots brought in by SIlverman which never made it to series, the project is likely dead and unlikely to be revived by NBC.
Story
Paraíso tells the story of 17-year-old Catalina, a gorgeous young girl who descends into a decadent world of easy money as a teen prostitute "pre-paid girl". She comes from a poor single-parent family and her brother works as a hired killer for drug traffickers. The girl dreams of a life of luxury, but she is not bosomy enough to attract a wealthy pusher whom she can seduce into making her a pampered paramour.Sick of poverty, Catalina decides that plastic surgery will help her find a new life. During her pursuit, she is raped, gets an abortion and dives into the sex trade. She sells her body to raise money for breast augmentation
Breast augmentation
Breast augmentation denotes the breast implant and fat-graft mammoplasty procedures for correcting the defects, and for enhancing the size, form, and feel of a woman’s breasts...
. After four operations, she loses the will to live, tries to commit suicide, so instead she placed a hit on herself.
Origins
Gustavo BolivarGustavo Bolivar
Gustavo Bolívar Moreno is a Colombian author, screenwriter and journalist. He published several books before the best-seller Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso brought him international fame...
's heroine is a "pre-paid girl," which means she sells her services around-the-clock for a set period, hoping to make extra money. The screenwriter says Paraiso highlights an unflattering part of his country: teenagers in the Colombian narco-culture getting the breast implants.
Bolívar says the story is based on real-life conditions facing child prostitutes in the town of Pereira
Pereira, Colombia
Pereira is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It stands in the center of the western region of the country, located in a small valley that descends from a part of the western Andes mountain chain. Its strategic location in the coffee producing area makes the city an urban...
. There he met two girls who were desperate for silicone breasts. One told him that she got her operation for free in exchange for sex. Unfortunately, the doctor used a pair of used implants, which led to allergic reactions and infection.
Development
This was the first television show Ben SilvermanBen Silverman
Benjamin Noah "Ben" Silverman is the founder and CEO of Electus, a next generation entertainment studio staked by IAC's Barry Diller....
bought after being named co-chairman of NBC Entertainment. He named Gary Scott Thompson
Gary Scott Thompson
Gary Scott Thompson is a screenwriter, television producer, and director. Spending much of his childhood in American Samoa, Thompson first gained exposure to the world of entertainment as an actor, studying the craft from such notable actors as Powers Boothe. Eventually settling on writing, he...
, creator of Las Vegas
Las Vegas (TV series)
Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
, as executive producer. NBC would air the program in a style structured like that of the adapted Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
, which was also produced under Silverman's Reveille Productions
Reveille Productions
Reveille Productions is an independently-owned television and motion picture studio and production company based in Los Angeles. The studio was founded by Ben Silverman in March 2002....
.
This show's unique name attracted media attention. A New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine writer called it an "almost unbelievably perfect title" and remarked that "TV nirvana has just been achieved." A New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
headline referred to a "full-frontal soap." The Charlotte Observer remarked that NBC put its "'breast' foot forward." A Dallas Morning News editorial said NBC will be "without a shred of integrity" if this show ever airs.
NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
experimented with English telenovelas in the past. In early 2006, it commissioned an English version of El Cuerpo del Deseo
El Cuerpo del Deseo
El cuerpo del Deseo also known as Second Chance is a Spanish-language telenovela produced by Telemundo and Film in Florida. This telenovela aired in several countries like Iran, Argentina, Malaysia, Poland, Philippines, Slovakia , Spain and Arab World on MBC Drama...
(Body of Desire), which was a hit on sister network Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
. That same year, it inked a deal with a two-year contract with the Los Angeles production company Galán Entertainment to adapt Deseo and other Spanish serials for use on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, Bravo and USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
. However with the disastrous launch of the competing new network MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
using a telenovela model in the fall of 2006, these projects never came to even the pilot stage on NBC or NBC's cable networks.
Spanish version
NBC Universal commissioned both English and Spanish versions of the Colombian serial to be produced independently. TelemundoTelemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
developed the Spanish version
Sin Senos no hay Paraíso
Sin Senos no hay Paraíso is a RTI Colombia–Telemundo remake and loose adaptation of the original Colombian series Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso...
using a different cast and script, and this was the only version of the series to air in the United States.