Looking back-how big was their budget??
Yeah the CGI sucked but the sets and the celebrities that had bit roles on here. They must have had a good budget!
shareThey didn't have any big celebrities.
-
Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that I'll be over here looking through your stuff.
Yes they did! They had names big enough for the 90's that they would need a good budget for it:
Dick Van Dyke
N'Sync
Brittney Spears
Backstreet Boys
Paula Abdul
Ashanti
Kelly Clarkson
Avril Lavigne
Also costly:
Daniel Bedingfield
Bryan Cranston
Kenan and Kel
Coolio
Jerry Springer
Sisqo
Andrew Keegan
Raquel Welsh
Andy Roddick
And this isn't including all the celebrities before their prime that were on here.
Again, I said big. The Backstreet Boys were before they were famous, Britney was a friend of Melissa's so I'm sure they didn't pay as much as a normal show would, Dick Van Dyke was a household name for roles he did 50 years earlier so not exactly an A lister, etc etc. None of the people you listed were "big" they were semifamous at best.
-
Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that I'll be over here looking through your stuff.
Backstreet Boys were on the show in 1998. That wasn't before they were famous and they were certainly big then.
When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul.
Kelly Clarkson!? Clutching at straws a bit there, she was an extra!!
shareWhatever there were a lot of famous people not only appearing but also performing on this show, and that costs money!
shareReally? Let's go through your list.
Dick Van Dyke - Famous in his prime, would not have commanded a large fee by the time he appeared on this.
N'Sync - Appeared in a 1999 episode. They did not get huge until the year 2000 with Bye Bye Bye.
Britney Spears - Crossover from Melissa Joan Hart appearing in Britney's music video for "You Drive me Crazy" which was the lead song from the movie of the same name starring Melissa - probably appeared for free.
Backstreet Boys - Most famous ones on the list. They would not have been expensive though.
Paula Abdul - Pre American Idol she was just another old school singer.
Ashanti - Maybe? I can't remember her character in it.
Kelly Clarkson - She was an extra and not even famous at the time.
Avril Lavigne - only just started out at the time she appeared.
Also costly:
Daniel Bedingfield - I hardly doubt that.
Bryan Cranston - His filmography wasn't exactly dazzling by 1997 when he appeared in this show and didn't appear on Malcolm in the Middle until 3 years later. He was a jobbing actor when he did this role, he would not be paid a lot of money.
Kenan and Kel - Doubt it.
Coolio - I could see him being paid a fair bit of money, yes.
Jerry Springer - Ditto above (and maybe paid the most as they actually used the real "Jerry Springer" show in a storyline)
Sisqo - Ditto Coolio.
Andrew Keegan - I have no idea who this is.
Raquel Welsh - Yes, maybe she would have got a lot.
Andy Roddick - No.
REALISTICALLY the only four people on that list I could see making a dent in the budget would be Jerry Springer, because he appeared as himself and they used his show and set in the storyline. Racquel Welch, because she is a famous actress. And Coolio and Sisqo because the show is not in their target audience and they [the producers/show] probably wanted and needed them more than they wanted or needed to do the show. The majority of the bands and singers didn't play characters, they appeared as themselves and sang their latest hit song. On a top rated show like Sabrina, especially pre-Youtube was a goldmine and they would have been thrilled to reach such large audiences (not just in the US but worldwide). They probably appeared for free OR their management may have even paid the show for what was essentially a 30 second commercial for their artists latest song.