American Idol‘s executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe, said he never invited Courtney Love to guest judge on the show, nor will she replace Paula Abdul. In a statement to Us Weekly, Lythgoe said, “I did not call Courtney Love and am afraid someone may have misrepresented me. Courtney Love is a very talented artist, but the… continue reading
Archives for January 2007
Survivor’s doctor admits to using cocaine and “inappropriately obtaining prescription drugs”
Adrian Cohen, Survivor‘s on-set doctor, “admitted to misconduct including cocaine use and inappropriately obtaining prescription drugs” for his work on the show, The Daily Telegraph reports. His cocaine use, he said during the hearing, is “spasmodic and unpredictable” and the results of his work in this “unique business.” He “appeared before the [New South Wales,… continue reading
Bravo’s Top Design debuts tonight but is mostly a weak replacement for Project Runway
At 11 p.m. ET, immediately after the conclusion of Top Chef 2, Bravo debuts its latest talent competition series, Top Design. While networks plagiarizing from one another is nothing new, Bravo may be the first to take a successful show of its own and try to copy it repeatedly (a fourth show, Shear Genuis, is… continue reading
Survivor Fiji participant quit on location; Probst says cast will “make almost every decision”
In an interview, Jeff Probst says that Survivor Fiji, like the season that came before it, is “one of the five best seasons we’ve ever done.” (This story included minor revelations about the first episode and game, although nothing about the outcome or results, and some of it has already been revealed in previews.) First,… continue reading
Top Chef 2’s finale airs tonight; series has 32 percent more viewers than Project Runway 2
The second season of Top Chef concludes tonight at 10 p.m. ET. Annoying Marcel and his tormentor Ilan will compete for the title and $100,000. We may already know the winner, as a profile accidentally posted by Food & Wine magazine identified the winner on Monday. However, to correct its mistake or correct the record,… continue reading
Burton Roberts’ series Camp Reality debuts tonight on Fox Reality
Camp Reality, an original reality series produced by Survivor cast member Burton Roberts, debuts tonight on the Fox Reality Channel and repeats frequently. The first episode should also appear on iTunes. The show, according to the network, follows Burton as he “hosts twelve of his reality star friends in Big Bear, California for a weekend… continue reading
Courtney Love will guest on Idol, could “replace Paula,” source tells tabloid
Courtney Love may replace Paula Abdul as a judge on American Idol, at least according to a report in Us Weekly. The former Hole lead singer, who has previously admitted to having a drug problem, tells the magazine that she has, in fact, been approached by the executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe. “He called. He was… continue reading
Food & Wine releases profiles of both Ilan and Marcel, says they were written in advance
Food & Wine magazine has responded to yesterday’s apparently accidental release on its web site of the winner’s identity, which came in the form of a profile of one of the two Top Chef 2 finalists written as if the individual won. Today on its web site, Food & Wine released a statement–and profiles of… continue reading
Road Rules returns tonight with Viewers’ Revenge
Two and a half years after it was left for dead by MTV, Road Rules–the first competitive reality series of the modern reality TV era–returns with a new format and structure. Road Rules: Viewers’ Revenge debuts at 9 p.m. ET tonight. This will be the 14th season of the show, which in its most recent… continue reading
MTV debuts Two-A-Days’ second season and Bam’s Unholy Union tonight
After the return of Road Rules tonight, MTV brings back one series for a second season and debuts another series. Two-A-Days, the most awkwardly titled reality show on MTV, kicks off its second season at 10 p.m. ET. The show continues to follow senior football players at Hoover High School in Alabama, although it features… continue reading
U.S. Court of Appeals agrees to hear Richard Hatch’s appeal
A U.S. Court of Appeals has agreed to hear Richard Hatch’s appeal of his conviction. The hearing will take place March 8. Richard’s lawyer, Michael Minns, told the Providence Journal, “I am deeply grateful that they have decided to hear us. I expected them to do it because these are serious, important constitutional issues.” The… continue reading
Top Chef 2 winner revealed when Food & Wine interview posted early
The winner of Top Chef 2 was revealed earlier today, when an interview with the person was posted on Food & Wine’s web site, apparently accidentally. It has since been removed, but the text remains online. (Stop reading now if you don’t want to know its contents, as the rest of this post includes details… continue reading
Finding Miss America reality series replaced by two-hour Pageant School special
Tonight, at 8 p.m. ET, Dancing with the Stars 3 runner-up Mario Lopez will host the Miss America pageant. That will be preceded at 6 (and also at noon) by Pageant School: Becoming Miss America, a two-hour special that apparently replaced what was supposed to be an entire reality series that would have allowed the… continue reading
Ivanka Trump was asked to do The Bachelorette and “tons of [other] shows”
Apprentice 6 co-star and Project Runway 3 guest judge Ivanka Trump was asked to star in The Bachelorette, she says. Ivanka, who’s been filling in for both Carolyn and George (although not on last night’s episode), tells People magazine, “I’ve been offered tons of shows, (including) The Bachelorette.” She doesn’t elaborate about when she was… continue reading
Semi-finalist Jory Steinberg once had a seven-record deal with David Foster, “double platinum” single
A Hollywood-bound semi-finalist Jory Steinberg once signed a seven-record contract with David Foster and was “[t]outed as the next Alanis Morissette,” The Ottawa Citizen reports. In 1998, Jory signed “a seven-album deal with record label 143, owned by Canadian-born producer David Foster,” the paper reports. She auditioned in New York; after the judges unanimously sent… continue reading
Rock Stars in Rehab will be the subject of new Endemol reality show, report says
A vaguely sourced report in the Sunday Mirror says that the company behind Big Brother is planning a reality show called Rock Stars in Rehab. As its title suggests, the series would place “a group of well-known faces with very public drug problems into a rehab and just let the cameras run,” an “insider” tells… continue reading
BBC turning Harry Potter into a reality series, sending kids to magic school
The BBC is creating a reality TV version of Harry Potter that will be called The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The “Hogwarts-style magic school [will] … coach real life Harry Potters for a new TV series,” The Sun reports. Fourteen “children will be schooled in magic history and folklore, told the latin terms for casting spells, and… continue reading
Ian Bernardo says he has a #4 Billboard record; contract says “we are going to hurt your feelings”
One of the contracts that American Idol contestants sign says that the show will do its best to exploit any weaknesses it finds within them, and one of the biggest losers from this year’s auditions says he already has a number four Billboard record. During a Larry King Live discussion of the show’s cruelty, American… continue reading
BET airing One Night Only, a series following drama students in post-Katrina New Orleans
BET’s new reality series One Night Only debuted this week, and repeats Saturday at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. ET, and Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m., with new episodes airing at 7:30 on Tuesdays. The six-episode series “follows a group of high school kids and their drama teacher in New Orleans as they race to mount the… continue reading
Alexandra Pelosi’s Friends of God documentary now airing on HBO
HBO debuted Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi last night, and the documentary airs frequently this weekend on HBO’s channels and is available OnDemand. The film is described as “a look at the many millions of evangelical Christians who have become a formidable force in our culture and our democracy,” and includes… continue reading