week of October 23, 2005

Monday, Oct. 24, 2005

• Fantasia: "I'm not illiterate," "of course I can write"
  After media reports about her book noted that she was illiterate, Fantasia is correcting the record. Ironically enough, it seems that some people didn't actually...
• Top Models will appear on nearly every UPN show for an entire sweeps week
  Netlet UPN is taking its hit show America's Next Top Model and complete saturating an entire week of its sweeps lineup with cast members from...
• Mark Burnett says Survivor is "worth about a billion dollars" to its host country
  Mark Burnett and Jeff Probst answer questions about Survivor for TV Guide, and among other things, executive producer Burnett says that the show is "probably...
• Apprentice Kendra's reps made "diva-like demands," but she says she's "low-maintenance"
  Donald Trump's most recent apprentice, Kendra Todd, has a team of representatives who are making "diva-like demands ... for [her] self-promotional appearances," the New York...
• Janice Dickinson creating modeling agency reality series for Oxygen
  After being fired from America's Next Top Model and nearly stabbing Omarosa on The Surreal Life, acerbic skeleton Janice Dickinson is creating her own modeling-related...
• Reality TV editors and producers discuss "frankenbyting" and other forms of audience deception
  This month's issue of Radar magazine has an "expose" of one of reality television's "secrets": editors constructing fake situations out of real footage. With interviews...
• Paradise Hotel may come to DVD next year
  We were teased earlier this year with rumors that the best reality show ever, Fox's Paradise Hotel, would return. Alas, they weren't true. Today comes...

Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005

• Kathy Griffin selling a night with herself
  Reality TV goddess Kathy Griffin is selling herself, literally. The highest bidder will get to spend an evening with her. Perhaps coincidentally, her web site...
• Reality TV editor says budget cuts, network influence is to blame for manipulative editing
  Radar's expose on reality TV editors' and writers' practices, and my response to it, has generated some substantial reaction. Below I present the most articulate...
• Weaver family didn't help the Schroeders after Katrina
  The Amazing Race 8 family The Schroeders had the misfortune of being eliminated from the race in their hometown, New Orleans. Then, Katrina came and...
• Muppets get their own (parody) reality series America's Next Muppet
  As if the news about the Paradise Hotel DVD wasn't the exciting enough, today we learn that the Muppets are getting their own reality series....

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005

• The Scorned's world premiere is tonight in LA
  While the edited version of the Kill Reality movie "The Scorned" airs on Monday night, most of the world has to wait until later this...
• WGAw reality writers "invade" panel discussion
  As part of their quest for unionization, the Writers Guild of America West reality TV writers and editors' organizing committee "invade[d]" and "interrupted" a panel...
• Carissa Gaghan explains it all and becomes The Amazing Race's breakout star
  As The Amazing Race 8 teams climbed into cabs, it almost felt like a real episode of The Amazing Race. Then they had to, um,...
• Mark Burnett says he expects Jeff Probst to leave, suggests a woman may host
  After the season after this one, Jeff Probst may leave Survivor. And although Jeff says he's unsure about what he'll do, executive producer Mark Burnett...

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005

• Survivor's Brian is not gay: "I'm not confused; I know I don't like men"
  Survivor Guatemala queen bee Brian, who was voted out last week, tells TV Guide that he is completely heterosexual. "I'm not confused; I know I...
• Free gas for life prize actually worth $1,200 a year for 50 years
  A few weeks ago, the Bransen family won "free gas for life" at BP when they came in first place at an Amazing Race 8...
• Martha Stewart's Apprentice judge and MSLO chair Charles Koppelman will be paid $3 million
  Martha Stewart's left-hand man will be paid $3 million this year, part of which apparently pays for him to fondle his cigar every week on...
• ABC VP says reality "is viewed as equally important as comedy and drama"
  A panel discussion about reality TV, one that was interrupted by WGAw protesters, found that "media reports suggesting television reality series are losing popularity are...

Friday, Oct. 28, 2005

• VH1's But Can They Sing? airs Sunday
  VH1 continues its Celebreality block of shows, which let has-been celebrities resecutate their careers by embarassing themselves on cable television, on Sunday with the debut...
• Trump fires more than half of one team, and one-third of the remaining candidates
  Fed up with the continued incompetence of his candidates, Donald Trump pulled out his metaphorical machete and metaphorically slaughtered more than half of the Excel...
• Martha gets $100,000 per episode
  Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's financial statements revealed a lot about how much her version of The Apprentice is costing the company--and benefiting producer Mark Burnett....

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