reality blurred + archives + April 24 to April 30, 2011

week of April 24, 2011

Craig Gilbert calls HBO's American Family film "fallacious"; Louds paid by HBO to stay quiet
HBO debuted its film about the creation of An American Family, but the series' producer has called the film's plot fiction--and as usual, reality is...
No Vegas or Arizona Housewives, though Andy Cohen backs away from no-more comment
Bravo is not producing versions of The Real Housewives in Arizona or Las Vegas, but although Andy Cohen said the network is "done" creating spin-offs,...
Taking on Tyson: gorgeous, boring, should have been a one-off documentary
Animal Planet should be commended for the ambition of Taking on Tyson: a beautifully shot series about Mike Tyson's actual, real-life love for pigeons. Unfortunately,...

Teams thwart Amazing Race's attempt at a challenge
We have two episodes and three hours left on The Amazing Race 18, and I'm ready to break up with the show. But I will...
NeNe Leakes vs. Star Jones previewed after a discussion of Star's ass
The Celebrity Apprentice was a bit slower than usual last night, perhaps because of the lack of Gary Busey, and perhaps because of an uninspired...
Paula Abdul, Cheryl Cole in as X Factor judges, Simon Cowell says (kind of)
Simon Cowell has confirmed the judges for The X Factor, kind of. Besides himself and previously announced judge L.A. Reid, they are Paula Abdul and...
Rob Mariano will star in new History reality series Around the World in 80 Ways
The History Channel is capitalizing on Survivor Redemption Island star Rob Mariano's popularity and has hired him to star in a new reality series called...

Jennifer Hudson pisses off Oprah by being late
American Idol 3 finalist and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson appeared on OWN's Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes, the fascinating and entertaining series that follows...
Real World's first two seasons are on Hulu Plus
With this weekend's rebroadcast of An American Family, it's a good time to rediscover more of reality TV's roots. While the PBS documentary series laid...
The Voice debuts tonight: Will it be different than all the other failed singing competitions?
Tonight, NBC debuts yet another singing talent competition. But instead of mimicing American Idol, like so many others before it, The Voice is more like...

Kara DioGuardi finally talks American Idol, from "the depths of humiliation" to "moments of joy"
Kara DioGuardi's memoir A Helluva High Note: Surviving Life, Love, and American Idol was released today, and in it she describes everything from being "rejected...
The Voice's swivel chairs and coaches deliver a surprisingly good anti-American Idol
The swivel chairs made their first appearance last night on NBC's hyped singing competition The Voice, and from the coaches to the contestants' talent, the...
The Voice starts strong: the best series debut since post-Super Bowl Undercover Boss
NBC's The Voice had a good debut creatively, and viewers showed up. While Dancing with the Stars' results show had more viewers, The Voice had...
Top Model will air an all-star season this fall
America's Next Top Model will air its first-ever all-star season this fall. It will be the show's 17th season, and the network has also renewed...
Did George throw Top Shot challenge to let Chris Reed win?
Top Shot ended its second season on the History Channel last night, and gave its winner, Chris Reed, $100,000, and Colby Donaldson his last chance...

Rulon Gardner explains why he quit Biggest Loser
Olympic gold medalist, wrestler, and near-death experience survivor Rulon Gardner quit The Biggest Loser on Tuesday's episode, although that was badly timed because he then...
Survivor twist just allows Ometepe to rapidly finish off Zapatera
For the second time in three episodes, Survivor had two Tribal Councils and sent two people to Redemption Island. Unlike the episode that condensed two...
Dustin Zito explains why he lied about gay sex, Fratpad explains why images disappeared
Dustin Zito's work having gay sex on Fratpad and Fratmen was exposed on The Real World last night, leading his housemates to freak out. They...
Survivor cast "really scared for our safety" after Phillip's rant, went to producers, Julie says
Phillip Sheppard's accusations of racism on Survivor Redemption Island that turned into a fascinating Tribal Council discussion about race freaked out other cast members enough...
Showtime's Gigolos: women were paid to be on the weak show with an intriguing premise
Showtime is now airing Gigolos, a series about straight male escorts in Las Vegas. And while it's pretty much the disaster you'd expect, it's strangely...
Real World has its highest-rated episode in three years thanks to Dustin Zito's story
The Real World Las Vegas 2's episode last night was the highest-rated episode the series has had in three years, thanks to the drama surrounding...