Ox Notes: July 2, 2007

I entertained the notion of watching the Big Brother 8 season premiere on Thursday night at 8 ET, but the latest news about the season put that idea to rest. Big Brother is forcing some of the house guests to live with their sworn enemies, including 20-year-old Danielle and her father, Dick.

Danielle's not on speaking terms with Dick because -- among various reasons, I'm sure -- he "called her a bitch" during a phone call and then wrote about it on his MySpace page. Making things worse is that cast members are kept secret from one another until premiere night, so Danielle's going to be blindsided by this unwanted reunion with her dad.

I'm all for tormenting people with their consent (sleep deprivation on The Amazing Race, for example), but springing something like this on someone who's barely out of high school is tacky and mean.

In other news, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi is divorcing Salman Rushdie now that she's famous enough to find a rich husband who does not look like Salman Rushdie.

Ballroom dancers in the Ottawa, Ontario area can try out for the Dancing with the Stars Local Dance Challenge on Friday, July 6. The top couples will compete in front of the audience at the DwtS Tour show in Ottawa on July 10.

And DwtS producer Conrad Green offers some showbiz advice for David & Victoria Beckham upon their move to Los Angeles. The article is an interesting look at Hollywood from a British perspective.