reality blurred + archives + January 15 to January 21, 2006

week of January 15, 2006

Yahoo developing ABC's abandoned The Runner with LivePlanet and Mark Burnett
The Runner, a show concept that never got off the ground at ABC back in 2001, has found new life and new producers. Originally pitched...

ABC plans Miracle Workers; WB will air Survival of the Richest
This spring, ABC will air Miracle Workers, a series that "chronicles the lives of seriously ill people who lack the contacts or the money for...
Wendy Pepper says the "transformative experience" of Project Runway broke up her marriage
Project Runway's first villain, Wendy Pepper, says the experience of being on the show ultimately led to the breakup of her five-year marriage. The show...
American Idol 5 debuts tonight
The fifth (!) season of American Idol debuts tonight on FOX. Who will make us swoon and lead us to buy their CD? And who...
CBS renews Rock Star for second season
Mark Burnett's summertime musical competition series Rock Star has been renewed by CBS. The show's success led to talk of a second season last fall;...
WB spins off Beauty and the Geek show with dumb attractive guys and smart average women
The WB plans to flip Beauty and the Geek's format for another season of the series. The new show will feature "smart, ordinary-looking women and...

Ashley Parker Angel and the case of the morning wood
The Golden Globes may have interrupted my regularly scheduled viewing of MTV's newest guilty pleasure, There and Back, but MTV's endless repeats and a DVRed...
FOX's Skating with Celebrities debuts tonight
FOX's shameless Dancing with the Stars rip-off Skating with Celebrities debuts tonight at 9 p.m. ET, immediately following another hour of Idol humiliation. Hosted by...
Critics, judges make fun of Paula Abdul when she misses a presentation because of an "eye infection"
Paula Abdul was missing in action at a FOX presentation for TV critics yesterday, and the other two judges--and the critics themselves--used the occasion to...
NBC orders fourth season of Last Comic Standing
Even though the third season was somewhat of a dud, NBC has ordered a fourth season of Last Comic Standing. That third-season "[q]uickie production was...
American Idol 5 debut watched by 35.5 million people, the most ever
An average of 35.5 million people watched the two-hour debut of American Idol 5 last night, a six percent increase from last year's debut and...

Kelly Clarkson will allow her songs to be used on Idol
Kelly Clarkson's songs will be used on American Idol 5 after all. Kelly's Sony BMG spokesman Roger Widynowski said yesterday that "Kelly Clarkson was happy...
Twins Terrell and Derrell charged with forgery; Terrell is currently in jail
Two of the better performers to appear on Tuesday night's American Idol 5 debut have both been charged with "with forgery, theft by deception and...
Accountant says Richard had her prepare return without his Survivor winnings, which he filed
During Richard Hatch's trial yesterday, his accountant testified that he asked her to prepare a second tax return that showed what "his 2000 taxes look...
Detroit-area production jobs posted for a "major cable network" reality series
The Real World Detroit may or may not be one step closer to becoming a reality. Last fall, reports said that Viacom had leased space...
Man charged with stalking Jessica Sierra
A 59-year-old man was arrested and charged yesterday with stalking 20-year-old Jessica Sierra, the singer who placed 10th on American Idol 4. The man, "Daniel...

Project Runway 2 was the highest-rated 18-49 cable show Wednesday
With 1.8 million viewers, Wednesday night's episode of Project Runway 2 was the highest-rated episode in the series' history. Of those, 1.4 million were ages...
Top Model renewed for seventh, eighth seasons; sixth season starts with retrospective
America's Next Top Model will return for a seventh and eighth cycle, UPN announced yesterday. The show's sixth season will debut in March. One week...
Real World Key West cast revealed; teaser video suggests they stayed through the hurricane
We've caught glimpses of The Real World Key West cast over the past few months, but MTV has finally officially revealed their identities. The cast...
Are gay people welcome on American Idol?
One would think a show about singing competition hosted by a metrosexual Queen of West Hollywood would be pretty gay friendly, but "homosexuality may not...
Syndicated American Idol will debut in September
The syndicated version of American Idol will be known as American Idol Rewind, and it'll be edited to not waste your time, unlike the regular...
Lawyer says Hatch caught others cheating, and producers agreed to pay his taxes if he won
Richard Hatch took the stand in his trial today, but what he said there pales in comparison to a defense his lawyer outlined during a...