Looking at the Big Brother 12 cast, you’d think that this season’s twist is to have the whitest, least racially diverse cast ever, because there’s apparently only one non-white person. And as we learned yesterday, one cast member will be a secret saboteur/mole/America’s Player, and if the producers selected Monet for that job, that will… continue reading
Archives for June 2010
Big Brother 12 cast announced, includes an Orthodox Jew; house has a Miami theme
The cast of Big Brother 12 was announced on The Early Show this morning, and there are 13 cast members again, although one is America’s saboteur and isn’t competing for the prize. Seven are in their 20s, five in their 30s, and one is 40; that’s as old as it gets. While there’s a bit… continue reading
Susan Sarandon producing ping-pong reality show; Rob Lowe producing DC-set docudrama
Two actors are getting into the reality TV game, but as producers, not cast members. Susan Sarandon is producing a series that follows ping pong players at her nightclub SPiN. “It won’t be the Jersey Shore. It’s more of an episodic documentary. We’re trying to invent something you haven’t seen before that follows a bunch… continue reading
Justin denies cheating, doing Bachelorette for fame, but Chris Harrison says there’s “proof”
After being publicly shamed on The Bachelorette Monday, Justin Rego denied having a girlfriend or doing the show for fame instead of love, which is really what the series is all about. “I absolutely went [on the show for] the possibility of falling in love. But you know there’s 25 guys in there. And you… continue reading
Larry King retiring, says Ryan Seacrest should replace him
Larry King is ending his CNN talk show and retiring this fall, he announced in a statement, and he also said that American Idol host Ryan Seacrest should replace him–although Survivor host Jeff Probst also wants the job. That’s according to The AP, which reports that “King said if it was up to him, Ryan… continue reading
The Hills turns 100 tonight before dying next month; Kristen dating a camera operator
Tonight’s episode of The Hills is its 100th, and that arrives just two weeks before the series finale. On that occasion, MTV looks at its top 10 Hills moments. Meanwhile, new/old cast member Kristin Cavallari has revealed another layer of artificiality: She’s dating a camera operator on the show, although of course that’s not part… continue reading
Glee reality series will air on Oxygen
Fox and Glee producer Ryan Murphy cancelled plans for a Glee reality show that would have aired on Fox late this summer, but now Oxygen has picked up the series to find a new cast member. It will be broadcast next summer. Deadline reported that repeats of “Glee will be heading to Oxygen, which we… continue reading
Big Brother 12’s twist: a saboteur (or basically just America’s Player renamed)
Big Brother 12‘s twist has been revealed, and it’s a variation of one we’ve seen before. One contestant will be a saboteur, and will “disrupt the lives of fellow players” based on viewer suggestions. In other words, they’re bringing back America’s Player from season 8, although with two changes: the other houseguests will know that… continue reading
Forbes’ most powerful: Cowell ($80 million), DeGeneres ($55m), Trump ($50m), Seacrest ($41m), Klum ($16m)
Forbes has published its list of the 100 “richest and most powerful actors, actresses and musicians,” and it includes three of American Idol‘s cast members, plus Donald Trump and Heidi Klum. Of reality TV personalities, departing judge Simon Cowell and his $80 million a year salary are highest on the list, at #11, just behind… continue reading
Lifetime expands Project Runway 8 episodes to 90 minutes
Project Runway‘s eighth season is currently in production in New York City, and when it debuts July 29, Lifetime will air 90-minute episodes of the show each week. Heidi Klum explains this change by telling the AP, “We did get always a few complaints from people that they wanted to see a little bit more,… continue reading
Reality shows kids usually unprotected by child labor laws due to lack of rules, confusion
Kids are increasingly part of reality TV shows that star adults, and The Los Angeles Times investigated their participation, and “found that dozens of kids are appearing on reality programs without legal safeguards because of widespread uncertainty about how to classify the shows.” The paper “found rampant confusion within the television industry and state agencies… continue reading
The City is not cancelled, Whitney Port says
Whitney Port has taken to the internet to assure worried fans that her fake MTV reality series, The City, has not been cancelled. Fashionista reported an unsourced rumor “that MTV has canceled (seemingly) successful scripted reality series The City” after this season. In her post, which is preceded by a giant picture of her because… continue reading
Ali learns of Justin’s infidelity as The Bachelorette ramps up its orchestrated drama
On tonight’s episode of The Bachelorette 6, Ali Fedotowsky learns that one of her suitors, Justin “Rated R” Rego, has a girlfriend. (It’s the Wes situation all over again, oddly enough.) This is horrifying and unacceptable, because as we all know, it is unthinkable to date more than one person at a time–unless you are… continue reading
Bret Michaels meeting with American Idol producers about becoming its fourth judge
Celebrity Apprentice 3 winner Bret Michaels is a step closer to replacing Simon Cowell on American Idol: He’ll meet with producers soon to discuss joining the show as its fourth judge. “We have a meeting in L.A. in a couple weeks and we’re going to sit down and talk,” Bret told Parade. “I would love… continue reading
Restrepo, which follows Afghanistan platoon for a year, has best per-theater opening
Although it only aired on two screens in New York and L.A., the new documentary Restrepo had the best per-theater opening of new movies this past weekend, including the Tom Cruise movie Knight and Day. The documentary, which follows a platoon in a dangerous Afghanistan region over one year and has earned “univesal acclaim” from… continue reading
Big Brother’s pre-season routine revealed
Big Brother 4 winner Jun Song, who’s still as obnoxious as ever, even in print, walked through her pre-show experience in an interview with TV Grapevine. While it’s standard stuff–being sequestered with no phone and no TV (only DVDs), having bags searched, not being able to wear clothing with logos–it’s a good walk-through of the… continue reading
High Drama returns to follow another student production of The Wizard of Oz
Two years after airing High Drama: Against All Oz, an online-only reality series that followed a high school’s production of the Wizard of Oz (which is still online), TheWB.com is launching a second season of the show. High Drama 2 follows “students at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania [who] are known for their exceptional… continue reading
Next week: Real World returns, Kathy Griffin meets Levi Johnston, and Wipeout goes World Cup
Along with me, past forward took a vacation last week, too, but now we’re back. We’re both feeling very refreshed after unplugging, hiking, kayaking, having quality friend time, and doing yoga dance. Don’t ask about the last part. The Past Last week, the Glee reality show died, American Idol made a stupid rule change, and… continue reading
Biggest Loser contestant says producers, show “gave me a really fun eating disorder”
Biggest Loser 3 runner-up Kai Hibbard lost 118 pounds on the show, but has become its most vocal critic. She was previously cited by the New York Times in a piece about the show’s problems, and now, she told Body Love Wellness’ Golda Poretsky that the show “gave me a really fun eating disorder that… continue reading
Real Housewives of New York ends its season after four bonus hours of craziness
Last night, Bravo aired the fourth and final post-season special on The Real Housewives of New York City. In other words, 22 percent of this season’s 18 episodes aired after the alleged finale. As always, the lost footage episode was the least interesting, and didn’t compare to the spectacular three-part reunion, the last two hours… continue reading