Goodbye and Hello Gosselin (Again)

Working Reality Mom of 8 Kate Gosselin was finally voted off of Dancing With The Stars last week.

Kate was sent to the bottom two at the beginning of the show and was subsequently voted off. She proceeded to get teary-eyed when Tom Bergeron announced she would be leaving. “I need a minute,” she said through her tears.

Really, Kate was arguably the mot interesting contestant this season, perhaps even out of any season, the ratings are noticeably in slight decline from the previous week - You Love Kate Gosselin - Who doesn't . The good news is that Kate is already onto the next show, with family in towe (All 8 of 'em)...Thanks, TLC. (Photo/Credit Adam Larkey, ABC)

The Return of Dancing with Burke

Meet Your New Dancing Host

Dancing with the Stars (ABC) has a new co-host but its not much of a surprise.

Brooke Burke, who previously appeared on the show as a contestant, has officially been named the new co-host of Dancing With The Stars (Burke is taking over Samantha Harris’ role on the competition series’ 10th season).

We like Brooke, although we had unfollow @BrookeBurke on Twitter because it was always "Mommy time" and never about the show...We try to stay focused.

The good news is that we are equal opportunity followers, so, if Brooke begins to Tweet about DWTS, she will be back on our list. Now, if we could just get rid of Tom Bergeron...

Get Your Dancing Shoes On...

ABC officially announced this season’s cast for Dancing With The Stars. Here’s your Hot Mess:

Kate Gosselin: The Mom of eight is taking some heat, but Kate appears to be committed to balancing family and work (-?). She has even built a dance studio in her home so she can rehearse while the kids are at school - and, just enough time to film another installment of her reality show. Jake Pavelka: Right after choosing Vienna over Tenley (For this action will NEVER be understood), the latest 5 foot 7 “Mini-Bachelor” announced he will be on DWTS. Evan Lysacek:Fresh from win of the Gold at the Winter Olympics, he’ll still be putting all that training to good use on the big show. Work it! Erin Andrews: The ESPN star (Known more recently for being victimized by a scumbag with a camera - no, not the Paparazzi) is sure to get even more attention on the show. Nicole Scherzinger: Lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls should be formidable competition as she does this professionally (-?).

Your Reality TV Schedule for 2008

Hello, hello, hello...

As we have officially returned back to regularly scheduled programming (Amidst the horrific writer's strike - which continues to halt production here in Los Angeles and now apparently around the entire world). Friends, neighbors and countrymen/women - Stop the MADNESS!

Where's The Promised Hollywood Ending?
Before we begin today's escape, I wish to quickly mention just as friends at the Weinstein Company, we are also in the process of making our own deals with independent writers - if all of the independents joined together, we can force an end to this debacle. We need a Hollywood Ending.

More Reality on The Schedule
Now, on to a more hopeful subject is the new and returning reality offerings for 2008.

I am often asked, do I know about shows before the air on television - um...YEAH! Sometimes I hear about shows a year or more in advance and by the time it is aired I am usually thinking, "Did we not already see that show?".

The second most frequently asked question is "Do I actually watch reality shows?". Again, yes. When I make time, I am usually watching a reality show or a movie when I REALLY create time.

So, let's see what we will be watching this season (Yes, you may print this list and tape to the refrigerator):

• American Idol 7 (FOX), Jan. 15
  
• My Fair Brady…Maybe Baby? (VH1), Jan. 20
  
• Millionaire Matchmaker (Bravo), Jan. 22
  
• Gauntlet III (MTV), Jan. 23
  
• Survivor 16 (CBS), Feb. 7
  
• Big Brother 9 (CBS), Feb. 12
  
• Baby Borrowers (NBC), Feb. 18
  
• Pussycat Dolls 2: Girlicious (CW), Feb. 18


• America’s Next Top Model 10 (CW), Feb. 20
  
• Oprah’s Big Give (ABC), March 2


• When Women Rule the World (FOX), March 3


• Dancing with the Stars 5 (ABC), March 17
  
• The Bachelor 12 (ABC), March 17
  
• Top Chef 4 (Bravo), March 19


• Hell’s Kitchen 4 (FOX), April 1
  
• The Real World Hollywood (MTV), May 21

Not to worry, there are many more reality shows beyond May 21st and I will provide witty analysis (aka 'Comment') on each of the shows as we near closer to the broadcast date.

We can still look forward to the debut of Randy Jackson's Best Dance Crew (Formerly known as World Moves), Farmer Wants a Wife, and My Dad is Better Than Your Dad (Return to 5th grade - this is not part of the title, however the statement should be)...

As well, all of this reality fare around Superbowl 500 (Not really, I am just feeling largely despondent that my Seattle is no longer in contention for the title, for yet another year!).

Wait There's More...
Having said, future Blogs are guaranteed forthcoming on the new shows, such as Millionaire Matchmaker (Bayonne Entertainment), Baby Borrower's (Love Productions), Oprah's Big Give (Produced by Harpo Productions), When Women Rule the World (Rocket Science Labs) - which promises to be not only realistic (IMHO), but as well, entertaining - Can you say, "Man Servant?" - this should be good fun!

The good news is that from the appearance of the above schedule, you should have continuous reality entertainment each and every night of the week (Or, at least that is the idea)...

The Week In Review

Tons of stuff has happen over the past week (My weeks are 7 days - yeah, a little unconventional, go with me on this one), so let's take a look back at the major events in Reality:

The highly controversial show Kid Nation debuted with fairly decent ratings on CBS. Really, it is great news to hear that all of the miscellaneous publicity, pre-judgment, flagrant criticism and overly concerned speculation may have actually helped viewership of the show. We just love watching the kids as they attempt to build and manage their own little town without supervision!

It's Time to Get Fierce
Of course, I was way too busy watching America's Next Top Model on CW (No TIVO for my top show) to view any of the other shows that had also aired on the same night - I have my priorities. Quite frankly, I was not able to get through the first 30 minutes of the show without dislodgement - my various phones are always on and within easy reach.

Hell In The Kitchen
Fox also gave us Nightmares...I mean, Kitchen Nightmares last week with Chef Gordon Ramsay. What I would like to know: WHO is running this guy's restaurants while he is away telling everyone else how to run their restaurant?

In other news, the two-hour season finale of Last Comic Standing aired on NBC - Although Bill B is a friend of mine, I could not tell you who won the laughfest or what it was they had won.

On that joke (?), it is safe to conclude that perhaps my 'Comic burn-out' happened somewhere along an episode of Kathy Griffin's "My Life on The D-List" - congratulations on the Emmy. It only hurts when I laugh...

Beauty & the Geek also had a big debut in it's encore presentation on Fox and there appears to be a new twist -- Ashton Kutcher, you continue to impress -- a hunky guy and one nerdy girl. I am good with the recent induction....

Surviving Survivor?
The 15th installment of Survivor (CBS): This time in China, met a great opening week with nearly 15 million viewers according to the ratings report. Good news considering that show is the first American reality program to be filmed in the country.

Every Battle is Won, Before it is Ever Fought
Right, I admire the fact that the group was instructed to leave behind 'worldly possessions' and then subsequently given a copy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War...An orchestrated gesture that seemed somewhat overdone for your benefit.

Anyway, I read The Art of War when I was just a kid, around about the same time I had read Donald Trump's book The Art of The Deal.

Who knew that being in world's oldest civilization and the teaching of Bing Fa on a modern day reality show for a month is much like the battle of corporate, conglomerate business warfare (?).

Alright Grasshopper, so it is quite possible that I am missing the point (if one exists), however would the experience be considered valuable on a resume when it is time to apply for a real job?

Good Riddance...
Last and very, very least, Evel (Not a misspelling) Dick (Again, not a misspelling) won Big Brother 8 (CBS).

Ah, with all of the bandannas, tatts, piercings, wild hair and the overall general appearance of poor hygiene, I thought the guy was a member of the band Motley Crew - not quite and not that cool.

Get Ready For This Week
The good news is that we are into a new week, and we have Dancing with the Stars (ABC), the finale of the Pick-up Artist (Vh1), the premiere of The Bachelor (ABC), Ultimate Fighter 6 (Spike), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC).

...and most important, the re-imagined Bionic Woman (NBC) - hardly a reality show I know, but I am excited about this one and had to find a way to mention the show in this post...

All Things Celebrity...

On Tuesday, ABC announced the new line-up for Dancing With The Stars and according to ABC, the hit show (Based on yet another British series) will feature a whopping 12 celebrity contenders during this 5th season.

According to the ABC announcement, the celebrities who will compete for the mirror ball trophy are Spice Girl Melanie Brown; former Beverly Hills 90210 actress Jennie Garth; supermodel Josie Maran; Disney's The Cheetah Girls star Sabrina Bryan; entertainer Marie Osmond; actress Jane Seymour; entertainer Wayne Newton; IndyCar racer Helio Castroneves; professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.; billionaire entrepreneur and former The Benefactor star Mark Cuban; soap star Cameron Mathison; and model Albert Reed.

Yo!
Never to miss a beat, on MTV you will have Celebrity Rap Superstar which will feature some of your favorite celebrities such as Shar Jackson, Tone Loc, Warren G, McLyte, Da Brat, Kendra Wilkinson, Perez Hilton, Sebastian Bach, Countess Vaughn and Kevin Hart who will be working hard to bust a rhyme.

Now it's getting interesting: After hearing of the announcements, once again I am completely convinced that we indeed have an obsession with all things "Celebrity"....and I began thinking...

Just Send Me An Email
In 1999, the world changed. We suddenly began to realize the usefulness of the Internet (Note: one particular major tech company CEO (at the time) had dismissed the Internet back in the mid-90's and now they are busy playing 'catch-up') and what used to take days of communication, could now be accomplished within a couple of minutes - anywhere in the world where there is an Internet connection.

I have conducted more business by email and was having a conversation with my attorney's assistant and we laughed about what people did before email - fax machine and letters? Aside from legal documents, who really sends letters anymore or even faxes for that matter?

Everything became about REAL...Real time, real talk, real places, real people. So of course, why not television?

The Real Cornerstone of Every Network
Since 2000, much has changed on the TV landscape with the induction of mainstream reality programming. What was once serious and intense drama of cop shows, medical shows, lawyer shows and sitcoms about nothing, gave way to new current programs - Reality Shows.

Fans of reality shows claim that they enjoy the unscripted 'realness' the format presents. Some viewers actually perceive and believe that the events are current and happening/unfolding as they tune in each week...Who knew that real life could be scathing and suspenseful with cliffhanger dramatics from week-to-week, really could you imagine the life one would have to live under such weekly circumstances?

Okay, so the realness of the real is slightly amplified.

Celebrity + Reality = Celebreality
Yes there are quite a number of reality shows on TV, however the incorporation of real "Celebrities" or "Stars" competing in prime-time, appears to have started more recently. Lately, we have seen a regular supply of celebrities past and present on prominent network reality show competitions.

So let's take inventory shall we? Below are recent shows and titles that provide our "Celebrity":

· Fast Cars & Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race (ABC)
· I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (ABC)
· Next Best Thing: Who Is The Greatest Celebrity Impersonator? (ABC)
· Celebrity Poker Showdown (BRAVO)
· Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge (CMT)
· Celebrity Duets (FOX)
· Celebrity Idol (FOX)
· Celebrity Rap Superstar (MTV)
· Celebrity Deathmatch (MTV2)

· Celebrity Expose (MYNETWORKTV)

· Celebrity Love Island (MYNETWORKTV)
· Celebrity Cooking Showdown (NBC)
· Celebrity Justice (SYNDICATION)
· Celebrity Love Cruise (TV LAND)
· Celebrity Fit Club (VH1)
· Celebrity Paranormal Project (VH1)
· Celebrity Look-Alike Dating Show, The (WB)

Let's not forget:
· Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
· Skating with Celebrities (aka Skating with the Stars) (FOX)
· The Surreal Life (TV LAND)

Oh Yeah...I remember that show
With the above titles, it would appear that we have an endless supply of 'starpower' to cast in these shows, as we very rarely ever see the same celebs in more than one or two programs. Maybe, maybe not.

What we do know is that we have not seen the star in question for decades on television and that is it great to see them working again, because we were all wondering what happened to them (admit the truth).

Celebrity Reality Unhinged
Now for the good news - we will see more celebrities and stars in more versions of reality. I am sure that you may have heard about Celebrity Apprentice, but what about Celebrity Survivor, So You Think You Can Dance (Celebrity Edition), Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, Celebrity Nanny 911, Celebrity Make-Over: Home Edition, Celebrity Ice Road Truckers, Celebrity Deadliest Catch? - I have said too much, however I have tons of great (uh, yeah...) ideas and could easily continue.

Admittedly, we also have a few "Celebrity" driven vehicles within our slate as well. So, guaranteed as they say, "There's plenty more where that came from". Now, let's watch Perez try to rap!


*The photo above is from last winter's 2006 episode of Dancing With The Stars, starring Lisa Rinna, courtesy of ABC.

The Final 4

So, this is the week of the Final 4

For you sports fans, you typically revere the Final 4 as your NCAA championship of the top competitors for the title. Well, we are talking about an entirely different event - THE REALITY SHOW FINAL 4.

This year/ season is very unique because we have several shows that are in the midst of four remaining hopefuls:

1. American Idol (FOX) - Let's see there is Melinda, Jordin, Lakisha, and Blake. The final four singing hopefuls will be announced tonight, "Dawg".

2. America's Next Top Model (CW)- I know, I have mentioned a thousand times (At least) this is my favorite show and I try to watch every episode. Who's left? Dionne, Jaslene, Natasha, and Renee. I will be watching!

3. The Bachelor 10 (ABC) - So, adorable Andy travelled the country to meet the parents of Amber, Bevin, Daniella, and Tessa. Oh, I have been informed that Amber did not receive a rose the other night and it appears only the remaining 3 will be accompanying Andy back to Hawaii - Aloha.

4. Dancing With The Stars (ABC) - Ian & Cheryl, Laila & Maksim, Apolo & Julianne, Joey & Kym. The season semi-final round featuring Ballroom and Latin routines will air next Monday. Get your dancing shoes on...

Now if Bravo would accelerate Shear Genius (Curly or Straight), we could have another Final 4 competition and another perfect week of Reality for May sweeps...

You gotta love it.