In its short six-week run, Syfy’s Opposite Worlds did not prove to be the opposite of Big Brother, nor even Glass House, which it strongly resembled. I’m not sure it has much of a future. Broadcasting its live finale against American Idol and the premiere of Survivor was, shall we say, not smart. Only airing… continue reading
Archives for February 2014
How to watch the Oscar-nominated docs at home
The 10 films nominated for Best Documentary Feature (20 Feet from Stardom, The Act of Killing, Cutie and the Boxer, Dirty Wars, and The Square) and Best Documentary Short Subject (CaveDigger, Facing Fear, Karama Has No Walls, The Lady in Number 6, and Prison Terminal) are all available to watch online. CBS News has compiled… continue reading
If Survivor’s brains tribe only had a brain, that would have been far less entertaining
By the time Jeff Probst was calling the second Survivor Cagayan episode’s Tribal Council “nuts” and “crazy,” and calling the group “the oddest tribe I’ve ever seen,” he was, for once, not being insanely superlative and force-feeding us a narrative. Their WTF are you thinking behavior was baffling and thoroughly, wonderfully entertaining. Working backwards, there… continue reading
New Survivor idol with “massive power” came from Tyler Perry (and seasons 12, 13)
A brand-new type of idol will come into play after Survivor Cagayan‘s merge, which gives someone the power to save anyone by playing it after votes are cast, was suggested by Tyler Perry. Yes, the incredibly successful actor, director, and producer is also a Survivor fan, and texts Probst about the show. Probst explains that… continue reading
RuPaul’s Drag Race: trying to understand the love
More than any other series, people ask why I’m not covering Logo’s competition series RuPaul’s Drag Race. There’s undeniable passion for and commitment to this series, and the superlatives never end: it’s not just the best competition show, it’s the best reality show for some people. I haven’t watched since season one, which I didn’t… continue reading
Will The Comeback return? Bachelor Juan Pablo sells appliances; Duck Dynasty bowl game
Will the brilliant parody series starring Lisa Kudrow as a new reality star Valerie Cherish return to TV? Co-creator Michael Patrick King told EW, “Lisa and I actually have had a couple of lunches lately where we’ve been missing Valerie and wondering where she’d be. That’s just a creative exploration Lisa and I are doing…. continue reading
Erin Andrews will replace Brooke Burke-Charvet as DWTS co-host
The new co-host of Dancing with the Stars is 10th-season third-place finalist Erin Andrews. ABC is expected to announce that tomorrow, three days after unceremoniously firing Brooke Burke-Charvet, who was surprised to be let go. USA TODAY’s Big Lead reports that “Andrews is not leaving Fox Sports” and “will continue her sports duties — sideline… continue reading
Mary Carillo is one of the best things about the Olympics
More than two weeks of Olympic coverage conclude tonight, and there’s a lot to criticize about the decisions NBC makes when covering the Olympics, and many people loathe the non-sports parts as unnecessary filler. But I’d watch Mary Carillo’s work all day; her pieces have become one of the highlights of watching the Olympics for… continue reading
What we learned from TAR host Phil Keoghan’s AMA
In advance of Sunday’s premiere of The Amazing Race 24, which will bring back previous teams for another all-star season, the CBS show’s host Phil Keoghan did a Reddit Ask Me Anything on Friday. While it’d be nearly impossible for him to answer all the questions he was asked, he didn’t answer most technical questions… continue reading
Brooke Burke-Charvet fired by Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars dumped co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet Friday, continuing to clean house prior to its 18th season and blindsiding her in the process. Burke, who joined the series in its 10th season after winning the seventh season, and whose role seemed diminished last season with elimination of the space for her post-dance interviews, tweeted:… continue reading
Reality show Emmy category split, solving a problem via awkward names
The Outstanding Reality Program Emmy has split in two, becoming Outstanding Structured Reality Program and Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program. The Academy Of Television Arts and Sciences is basically acknowledging the genre’s diversification while giving the awards really awkward names. The Academy cites Pawn Stars and Duck Dynasty, two insanely scripted series, as examples of shows… continue reading
CeeLo Green has quit The Voice
CeeLo Green’s final season on The Voice was last fall’s season, as he won’t return; he’s not just taking this season off like he did last spring. Buzzfeed has already scraped together 29 GIFs of his time on the show. He revealed that on Ellen’s show, which airs today, surprising Ellen when he said “I’m… continue reading
Probst: Redemption Island will only be back for blood vs. water seasons, maybe
Survivor executive producer, host, and showrunner Jeff Probst is again defending Redemption Island, even though it won’t be part of this spring’s Survivor Cagayan. Instead, it’ll likely only return for future blood vs. water seasons, he says, but I think that could backfire on the show. First, writing in EW, Dalton Ross analyzes RI’s strengths… continue reading
Miss J, aka J. Alexander, un-fired from Top Model
J. Alexander, also known as Miss J, will return to judge America’s Next Top Model for its 21st season. He was fired two years ago along with Nigel Barker and Jay Manuel. “His name says it all. I’ve missed ‘Miss J.’ and am elated he’s back. I know Top Model fans will rejoice!” executive producer,… continue reading
CBS orders exactly what reality TV needs: a singing competition produced by Nigel Lythgoe
A new singing competition is coming to broadcast TV, and it will be produced by former American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, who was fired at the end of last season. He continues to produce and judge So You Think You Can Dance on Fox. The new series, In the Spotlight, has been sold internationally… continue reading