ABC Renews Three Reality Programs
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Prime Time, Reality, ABC, Renewals,
Three ABC reality programs have been picked up for additional seasons—maybe one of your favorites was among the bunch?
First, America’s Funniest Home Videos will be making another return for, get this, its eighteenth season. Unbelievable that it’s been on so long. And even more unbelievable to me—how people getting hit in the crotch passes for a funny video? I don’t know about you, but I always feel bad for the people who are hurt. But hey, if you’ve got a shot at earning money for your pain, why not go for it?
Wife Swap will also return, marking its fourth season. This show is so strange to me because I don’t know why anyone would want to switch and play mommy to another family. Call me crazy. Especially since some of the families on this show are nuts.
Supernanny also returns for a fourth season, and, of the lot of these renewals, this is the one I really enjoy. The nanny on this show has heaps of credibility, mainly because of her accent. I mean, did you see Mary Poppins? Jo Frost (pictured right) has got the nanny air about her. Seriously though, she seems to have the touch and I often wonder what kind of nanny miracles she could work on my rambunctious kids.
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| AOL News
Gallery: ABC Renews Three Reality Programs
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Justin Guarini’s Return to TV
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, Cable, FOX, American Idol,
If you’ve been missing American Idol‘s season one finalist, Justin Guarini, the wait is over. The runner-up’s shining face will soon be gracing the TV Guide Channel’s Idol Tonight live preshow. OK, forgive my cynicism here, but how much American Idol do we really need on the television? I guess Idol Tonight is for the hardcore fans who just can’t get enough of all things Idol. At least there’s a place for Guarini, who had seemed to all but vanish from the spotlight. Here, he gets to provide all the behind-the-scenes commentary, including interviews with former contestants, vocal coaches, and stylists. And he won’t go it alone—he’ll be joined by Kimberly Caldwell, from season two of Idol and Rosanna Tavarez, who was a winner on the WB’s Popstars. What? They couldn’t get another Idol alum to fill the third spot? Show of hands for anyone who even saw Popstars? Sadly, that’s me with my hand raised. Yep, I watched it.
Read More | E! Online
Gallery: Justin Guarini’s Return to TV
American Idol’s Jennifer Hudson Nominated for Oscar
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Award Shows, Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol,
How great is the news that former American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson is nominated for an Oscar? What a sweet comeback she made after being ousted on Idol. It has been an amazing rise straight to the top for this talented woman. I thought she was robbed on Idol, but seems she made out pretty well after all. I have yet to see Dreamgirls, but have read that her performance is nothing less than spectacular. Her Golden Globe win seems to confirm her talent, and let’s hope that this big leap out of the starting gate into films will mean even more impressive work from her for years to come.
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: American Idol’s Jennifer Hudson Nominated for Oscar
Now here’s a show that sounds like it could be a good time. NBC has ordered six episodes of the improv series Thank God You’re Here. The show is nothing too groundbreaking—you’ve seen it before with Who’s Line is it Anyway? and this exact series is already enjoying popularity in other countries. Hosting duties will be performed by David Alan Grier (In Living Color), while Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall, Newsradio) serves as judge. I’m excited because I love these two, and I love improv. Check out the pilot, featuring Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle), Joel McHale (E!‘s The Soup), Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie), and Wayne Knight (Seinfeld). No details yet on when exactly you can catch the premiere of this show, but be on the lookout for what should prove an entertaining diversion from ordinary television offerings.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: Improv Series Coming to NBC
Grease Reality Show Down to Twelve
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, NBC, American Idol,
While I haven’t been a faithful watcher of Grease: You’re the One that I Want, I have tuned in briefly and found myself pleasantly surprised. The show, which is seeking the next Danny and Sandy for the broadway production of the musical, has announced their twelve finalists. Here’s where the viewer’s votes come into play, with each finalist performing live, a la American Idol. The first live show is Sunday, January 28th, on a two hour episode, with seven more live episodes to follow. Plus Olivia Newton-John will be on hand for judging duties. You can’t get any better than Sandy herself.
The twelve finalists are: Allie “Baby Sandy” Schultz, Laura “Small-town Sandy” Osnes, Ashley “Ballerina Sandy” Spencer, Kate “Serious Sandy” Rockwell, Juliana “Rock Chic Sandy” Hansen, Kathleen “Spiritual Sandy” Monteleone, Max “Slacker Danny” Crumm, Kevin “Bellhop Danny” Greene, Derek “Wholesome Danny” Keeling, Chad “Ambitious Danny” Doreck, Austin “Hot Danny” Miller, and Jason “Boy-band Danny” Celaya.
Read More | Reality TV World
Gallery: Grease Reality Show Down to Twelve
CBS Greenlights Another Year of Survivor
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Prime Time, Reality, CBS, Survivor, Renewals,
CBS announced that Survivor will go on at least for another year. And why not? The reality show competition, where contestants use their survival instincts for a shot at a million dollars is a ratings winner. With an upcoming 14th season airing soon, Survivor still manages to bring it. The additional year will have two more back-to-back seasons in store, marking seasons 15 and 16. Survivor: Cook Islands, the latest season to air, did well with 15.75 million viewers. That’s big business considering the popularity of their competitor, the freshman hit Ugly Betty. There has been no announcement yet about what the next two seasons will have in store or where they will be located. You can be certain there will be some new twists up Mark Burnett’s sleeve though, I’m sure. “Survivor: Fiji” starts on February 8.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: CBS Greenlights Another Year of Survivor
American Idol Rules the Ratings
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Internet, Ratings,
Despite my grumblings yesterday where I explained that I can’t watch the auditions of American Idol, the little talent show seemed to do just fine in the ratings. The premiere of the sixth season kicked off with 37.3 million viewers tuning in—a five percent jump from last year’s season premiere. Not bad, right? Well, seems some folks are becoming as disenchanted as I am, according to an article on Reuters. While the show garnered the highest viewership in American Idol‘s history, it still left some dissatisfied. Last night’s show included auditions from Minneapolis, with most of the wannabes not quite making the grade. One fan posted on Americanidol.com’s message board: “I think that we need to see more of the good with the bad. Not only did we get bad but it seemed to be longer segments of individuals… I’m not going to waste my time tonight.” So my critique yesterday was not too far off the mark—another fan on Yahoo’s message boards said, “Too much of a bad thing is not so entertaining… The bad ones are just mostly ridiculous, by this point.” Amen.
(You can find all the American Idol 6 posts here.)
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: American Idol Rules the Ratings
Amazing Race All-Star Contestants Announced
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Prime Time, Reality, CBS, Amazing Race, The,
Although it’s not entirely new news (this had been leaked awhile back), it is official: The Amazing Race All-Stars teams have been announced. I’m looking forward to seeing the “all-star” concept played out on one of the best reality shows around. This is sure to be a fun-filled ride with the following contestants, although some were not as memorable to me as others:
- Dustin Seltzer and Kandice Pelletier (a.k.a. “the beauty queens”—ack!) from Season 10
- Joe Baldassare and Bill Bartek (“Team Guido”) from Season 1
- Kevin O’Connor and Drew Feinberg from Season 1
- Ozwald Mendez and Danilo Jimenez from Season 2
- John Vito Pietanza and Jill Aquilino from Season 3
- Uchenna Agu and Joyce Agu, the winners of Season 7
- David Conley, Jr. and Mary Conley (“team Kentucky”) from Season 10
- Charla Baklayan Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan from Season 5
- Rob Mariano and Amber Mariano from Season 7
- Teri Pollack and Ian Pollack from Season 3
- Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner from Season 9
Most interesting among the teams is the pairing of Season nine’s Eric and Danielle, who participated in separate teams during that season. The two dated soon after the season ended. The Amazing Race All-Stars premieres Sunday, February 18th.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: Amazing Race All-Star Contestants Announced
Dancing With the Stars Returns in March
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, ABC, FOX, American Idol, Dancing With The Stars,
Dancing With the Stars returns to the small screen in mid-March, and moves nights from Tuesday/Wednesday to Monday/Tuesday. Why the move? Well, with American Idol coming on for its umpteenth season, Dancing decided to split its schedule to avoid the competition. Stephen McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment, said of the move, “The great thing about this air schedule is that fans won’t have to choose between the two reality hits this spring.” Too true. Fans of both shows, however will have their dance card (sorry, couldn’t resist) filled with watching both hit talent competitions. Who will be dancing in this latest installment? Sorry, folks. The official word isn’t expected until closer to the March 19th premiere date. Stay tuned—Good Morning America will make the announcement as we get closer to that date. The premiere will be two hours, with another two-hour installment on March 26th. The results show will be on Tuesday, March 27th. The shows will go to 90 minutes beginning on April 2nd.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: Dancing With the Stars Returns in March
“I Love New York” is a Ratings Winner for VH1
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Prime Time, Reality, Cable, Ratings,
Move over Flavor Flav. There’s new VH1 ratings royalty in town. None other than your castoff—not once, but twice—Tiffany “New York” Pollard. That’s right, crazy as it may seem, the debut of I Love New York, the spin off of Flavor of Love, garnered the highest ratings for the network. The series premiere on Monday, January 8th had the most viewers of any other premiere on VH1. “New York” displayed so much personality on both seasons of Flavor of Love that VH1 called her in for her own series. The premise is a spin on Flavor of Love, with New York choosing from a herd of eligible bachelors. The new show has paid off for VH1, drawing 4.4 million viewers and overall earning the prize for the highest-rated cable program on Monday. The debut saw New York cutting the first five bachelors.
Read More | Reality TV World
Gallery: “I Love New York” is a Ratings Winner for VH1
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