Ox Notes: August 20, 2007

High School Musical 2 premiered to the largest basic cable audience ever on Friday night -- 17.2 million viewers. While Monique Coleman wasn't able to win Dancing with the Stars 3, I'd bet that any of her HSM castmates could walk away with DwtS 5 -- unless another rumored contestant, Lou Ferrigno, turns out to be much more nimble than he appears.

DwtS Musical Director Harold Wheeler calculated that, in four seasons, the house band has played 411 songs. I'm going to have no sympathy for the Season 5 celebrities when they start complaining about having to learn two routines each week.

Hooray! Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell has been given a multiepisode story arc on Heroes.

Casting for Rob Mariano's show Tontine isn't going well. He got caught on tape punching a heckler in the head at the show's San Diego casting call.

Finally, the cast for Survivor: China has been announced, and Jeff Probst gave his take on each of the contestants to TV Guide. The Fei Long (Flying Dragon) Tribe includes James the grave digger, while the Zhan Hu (Fighting Tiger) Tribe has its very own diva -- WWE Smackdown Diva, Ashley Massaro.