The first half-hour episode of Hey Paula introduced us to both Fun Paula and Diva Paula, but the second episode–which was not screened for critics–reintroduced us to Loopy Paula. It included footage of Paula’s disastrous live TV interviews she did before American Idol 6. If Paula truly never has been drunk before, there’s clearly something… continue reading
Archives for June 2007
“Workaholic” Ryan Seacrest is “the well-scrubbed embodiment of the PG-rated American pop mainstream”
Ryan Seacrest, host of American Idol and so much more, “is ubiquitous and as instantly recognisable as the president — and, in some quarters, almost as fiercely derided,” according to a profile in The Guardian. The paper’s John Patterson perfectly describes Seacrest as “the well-scrubbed embodiment of the PG-rated American pop mainstream” who “is also… continue reading
Reality Cares’ charity event, reality tv convention both take place this weekend
Two events this weekend on opposite sides of the country compete to draw reality stars, the people who want to see them in person, and their dollars (for charity and for profit). On Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m., Reality Cares presents a charity event that “[t]o raise money for Operation Smile, a worldwide children’s… continue reading
Summer reality TV reading: Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, Lost and Found, Reality: the Novel, The Homeless Channel
If you’re searching for summer or beach reading, three (relatively) new books offer the chance to take a bit of reality TV with you away from your television. Only one, though, is grounded in actual reality; the others create new, fictional worlds inspired by reality television. Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style… continue reading
Canadian Idol producer says it’s “disgraceful” that Toronto singers get voted off
The producer of Canadian Idol has lashed out at Canadians who don’t vote for singers from Toronto. After three singers from Toronto were eliminated Wednesday, John Brunton said, “I’m not really supposed to do this. I’m supposed to be impartial. But as a born and bred Torontonian, I’m fed up with the lack of attention… continue reading
Houseguests are enemies, rivals; America’s Player is one mole-like contestant
More details have emerged about the upcoming cast-related twists on Big Brother 8, and the newly redecorated house. CBS’ official press release about the new season reveals that next week, the 14 “Houseguests will learn that some of them will be sharing the house with an enemy, a rival or someone with whom they have… continue reading
Paris Hilton says Simple Life 6 tapes “in the next couple months”
Any hope that Paris Hilton’s post-jail reformation would lead to the death of her pathetically fake reality show The Simple Life has been lost. In her boring interview with the worst interviewer of his generation, Larry King, Paris said that she’ll soon start working on The Simple Life 6. “I’m doing another season in the… continue reading
Big Brother 8’s cast revealed; “America’s Player” will get cash for doing viewer-chosen tasks
One week before its premiere, Big Brother 8 has announced its cast and its twists, which don’t sound all that twisty. The 14-person “cast will include a few pairs of players with unresolved beefs,” Variety reports. While Variety does not elaborate, that could confirm the rumor that they’re high school enemies. Regardless, that twist means… continue reading
Hey Paula debuts tonight on Bravo
The new docudrama series that follows Paula Abdul in her day-to-day life debuts tonight on Bravo at 10 p.m. ET, with two back-to-back episodes. Hey Paula is a half-hour show, which is a change from Bravo’s typically hour-long docudramas, and seven episodes will air. The show promises “an unfiltered, real-life look at the “American Idol”… continue reading
On the Lot loses another 100,000 viewers
I find On the Lot‘s ratings decline to be endlessly amusing. It’s not that I necessarily want the show to fail–I loved its first week–but I’m just in shock that the show continues to air despite the fact that it’s just bleeding viewers every week. Far greater shows have been cancelled with better ratings. Last… continue reading
VH1 shot a pilot for America The Ugly with The Agency’s Becky
VH1 has produced a pilot episode for a new reality series called America the Ugly. The series is “said to be inspired, in a roundabout way, by ABC’s hit” Ugly Betty, Radar reports. Its “premise: What happens when unattractive women are thrown into the high-glam environment of the fashion and modeling industries?” The show’s cast… continue reading
Top Chef producers “don’t pay the guest judges,” Tom Colicchio says
Head Top Chef 3 judge Tom Colicchio says that the show’s guest judges are not compensated for their time or potential suffering through bad food. In an interview with TV Guide, he said that Anthony Bourdain is a fan of the show, and “That’s why he comes back. [Laughs] They don’t pay the guest judges,… continue reading
America’s Got Talent 2 is the week’s top-rated show; Hell’s Kitchen beaten by a sit-com repeat
With summer officially here, viewers have fled, leaving “tepid ratings” behind, the AP reports. That explains why NBC was actually in first place last week: America’s Got Talent 2 was last week’s top-rated show, as 12.51 million people watched. Among the other top-10 shows, only one is a reality show: So You Think You Can… continue reading
Big Brother cast list is “completely made up,” casting director says
Because three months of Big Brother every year is not enough time to waste on the show, fans of the show are busy going crazy over this year’s possible cast and twist. A cast list surfaced over the weekend, apparently first posted at Jokers, and is still being reprinted today, even though the show’s casting… continue reading
Apolo will appear at five Dancing with the Stars tour stops, joining the four other celebs
The winner of Dancing with the Stars 4, Apolo Anton Ohno, will join the show’s summer tour, which started today. However, he’ll only make five appearances over the 21-performance tour. He’ll be in “Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday,” “in Hershey, Pa., on July 2; Bridgeport, Conn., on July 3; Wilkes Barre, Pa., on July 5 and… continue reading
Trishelle says she’s only slept with three Real World cast members
Real World Las Vegas cast member Trishelle Cannatella, who’s not exactly known for being chaste, says she has only slept with three fellow MTV reality show cast members. Trishelle first jokes that she’s slept with “EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!!!!” But in an interview with LAist, she says, “its [sic] not as many as people… continue reading
Kelly Clarkson’s third album My December released today
Kelly Clarkson, the original American Idol winner, releases her third album today. My December, which she called “more intense” than her previous records, and said that her label thought it was “too negative,” features songs that Kelly either wrote or co-wrote. The CD is being released amid a lot of negative attention. Besides canceling her… continue reading
Harold says Top Chef producers threatened, forced him to do all-star challenge
Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle says he was forced to participate in the season three all-star cook-off by producers, who threatened to take legal action against him if he refused. Harold tells the New York Post that he “didn’t want to do it” because he was about to open his restaurant. “There were a million… continue reading
Shaq’s Big Challenge debuts on ABC tonight
Shaquille O’Neal helps kids lose weight on ABC’s new six-episode reality series Shaq’s Big Challenge, which debuts tonight at 9 p.m. ET. Of the six kids, ages 11 to 14, five weigh more than 200 pounds; the other weighs 182. When TV Guide asked how the kids were chosen, Shaq helpfully explains that “we looked… continue reading
Mark Burnett developing a martial arts competition
What Mark Burnett did for boxing on The Contender, he now will do for martial arts. He’s working “with mixed martial arts company ProElite Inc. to develop a primetime reality series involving the combat sport,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The paper notes that “there is no concept for the primetime series yet,” and as… continue reading