Ox Notes: August 29, 2008

Project Runway mentor Tim Gunn has been offering his opinions on celebrity fashion to anyone who will listen. He told OK! Magazine that Jennifer Aniston's recent looks have screamed "desperate character."

People has an interview with the latest auf'd PR designer, Keith, who's stopped blaming his model and the judges for his failure, putting the blame instead on faulty sewing machines.

While 18-49 remains the most coveted demographic for advertisers, Nielsen finds that viewers over the age of 55 are the largest growing segment of the TV audience.

CBS is hoping to reach out to all TV viewers with a Fall Preview Show highlighting new shows on the network's roster. The special will air on September 5 at 9 p.m. ET.

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has landed a cameo on HBO's Entourage, in addition to his recently announced gig hosting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live. I hope he spends as much time rehearsing for these shows as he did training for the Olympics, because he was pretty boring in interviews during the Beijing Games.

Grizzly Man Diaries debuts tonight on Animal Planet at 9 ET, featuring never-before-seen footage shot by Timothy Treadwell, a researcher killed by a bear several years ago. Treadwell's gruesome death was the subject of the documentary film Grizzly Man, which is as fascinating as it is disturbing.

Kim Kardashian's film Disaster Movie hits theaters today, hence she's the only Dancing with the Stars 7 cast member getting any press. TV Guide interviewed Kim about the movie. She talked with Us Magazine about dancing with her boyfriend, NFLer Reggie Bush. And she told People that she hopes that training for DwtS will help tone her famous backside.

In other movie news, I reviewed the movie College for the Naperville Sun today. Tomorrow I'm going to see the new Hindi film Rock On!!, and I'll link to that review next week.

If you're planning on traveling by car this Labor Day weekend, TNT is paying for tolls in Atlanta, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Chicago as a way to promote it's new show, Raising the Bar. I'm so used to speeding through tolls with my iPass that it took me a minute to get the joke.

Ox Notes will return on Tuesday. Have a great holiday weekend!

Ox Notes: August 28, 2008

Oddsmakers have expanded beyond betting on which celebrity will win Dancing with the Stars 7 to include odds on which celebrity is most likely to be arrested for DUI, and which two celebs are most likely to get romantic backstage. A Lance Bass-Kim Kardashian hook up leads with 5/1 odds, despite the fact that Bass is openly gay.

Kim Kardashian spoke to Entertainment Tonight about her recent foot injury.

OK! Magazine reports that former DwtS flames Karina Smirnoff & Mario Lopez might be back together again.

After having met all of the Survivor: Gabon contestants in Africa, Reality Blurred's Andy Dehnart ranked the contestants by whom he liked the best.

Survivor's biggest competition, new FOX game show Hole in the Wall, is moving its premiere up to September 7 in an effort to hook viewers before Survivor: Gabon debuts on the 25th.

EW has a slideshow of 15 Stars to Watch on television this fall.

Project Runway judge Michael Kors blogged about last night's episode, as did the always insightful Tim Gunn. His blog is required-reading for PR fans who want to know just how different the show looks from the inside.

Tim Gunn has been offering his opinions on celebrity style to various news outlets. He told Us Magazine that Michelle Obama is the more fashionable potential future first lady, and he told OK! Magazine that Miley Cyrus's look is "too tarty."

The Muppet Show may return to the airwaves, provided the next Muppet movie does well at the box office.

MSNBC's hosts seem a little stressed by all of this convention coverage, especially Joe Scarborough, who engaged in an on-air insult contest with David Shuster that lasted for nearly five minutes.

The creator of CSI, Anthony Zuiker, plans to create three "digital novels," in which a series of written chapters are followed by a short Internet video that segues into the next series of chapters. At the conclusion of the novel, readers can join a virtual book club to discuss the material.

While I'm intrigued by the concept, I was disappointed to learn what Zuiker claims inspired the idea. He told Variety, "I personally don’t have the attention economy to read a 250-page crime novel from start to finish."

"Attention economy"? When did that replace the phrase "attention span"? How distressing that an adult can't muster the attention to read 250 pages, while grade schoolers managed to make it through all 850+ pages of Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix.

This article from the Times Online explains how our digital culture is making us dumber and less able to concentrate. After rereading the article, I'm not so sure the "digital novel" is such a great idea.

Ox Notes: August 27, 2008

Early Dancing with the Stars 7 betting odds have Toni Braxton as the favorite to win, followed by Lance Bass. I'm sticking with Misty May-Treanor or Maurice Greene for the win, unless they're as uncoordinated as former DwtS jocks Clyde Drexler and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

People posted a behind-the-scenes video of Kim Kardashian & Mark Ballas in rehearsal. A DwtS insider told the Chicago Sun-Times that Kim was a "total diva" during the casting process, and even "wanted veto partner over her dance partner." She wound up with the reigning champ, so she can't be upset about that.

CBS announced the cast of Survivor: Gabon, and the reporters who went to Africa to document the first days of filming are finally able to talk about what they saw. EW posted video interviews with the cast members, and has a photo gallery featuring Survivor host Jeff Probst's thoughts on each contestant.

EW also has a game where you can vote for the biggest Olympic stud.

ABC will air an hour-long special called Half Their Size: The People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge on September 30.

Variety notes that, while cable news networks have gotten a ratings boost from their coverage of the Democratic National Convention, the networks are also getting hammered for covering the convention not as it is, but as they would like it to be.

An article by Eric Boehlert of Media Matters slams the mainstream media for exaggerating tensions between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (and their respective campaigns). Clinton's speech last night proved just how wrong the MSM had been leading up to it.

Media Matters also called out MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell for criticizing the Democrats yesterday for not sending Senator Claire McCaskill out on stage to tear into John McCain and metaphorically "throw some red meat out to the crowd." McCaskill did just that the previous night, but MSNBC didn't air McCaskill's speech.

From now on, I plan on following The Boston Globe's advice: "The best way to watch a political convention is on C-Span. That way Americans can make their own judgments unfiltered, without being told what to think by the nattering nabobs of TV commentary."

Since I started this post with Dancing with the Stars news, I'll end with something DwtS related. Who wants to get together for a meal at Guttenberg's Steak House?

Ox Notes: August 26, 2008

Pre-teen girls of America, brace yourselves. The musical guests performing on Dancing with the Stars 7's first Results Show are The Jonas Brothers and Jesse McCartney. Squeee!

The ET story linked to above also notes that the schedule for the first week of DwtS 7 is as follows: all 13 couples perform on September 22's premiere episode. Couples dance again the following night, and the first pair is eliminated. One more couple is eliminated during the first official Results Show on Wednesday, September 24. Two performances and two eliminations in three days. Yikes!

ET also has video of the DwtS pros rehearsing their opening night routine.

OK! reports that Mark McGrath dropped out of DwtS so that he could focus on writing new music for his band, Sugar Ray.

TV Guide has an article that contends that Ted McGinley has been the harbinger of doom for virtually every series he's been on. Will this be the season when Dancing with the Stars finally jumps the shark?

Speaking of jumping the shark, Metromix L.A. has updates on the cast of Saved by the Bell, including cast members from The College Years and The New Class.

E! asks the question, What Planet of Awesome Did Ed Westwick Come From?

CBS has delayed the premiere of Survivor: Gabon until September 25.

NBC has to wait and see if all of their promotions during the Olympics will translate into viewers for new series like Kath & Kim.

ABC ordered five new series on Monday, while Lifetime announced a new slate of original daytime programs.

TLC is set to premiere Real Simple. Real Life on October 18, a lifestyle makeover show for women featuring a crew of experts, a la Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The show, which aims to help women get organized and save time, is a partnership between the network and Real Simple magazine.

Ox Notes: August 25, 2008

The big day has finally arrived: the Dancing with the Stars 7 cast has been revealed! Kudos to the website Gossip Sauce for getting their leaked cast list 100% correct, including an update posted yesterday revealing that Mark McGrath had dropped out and been replaced by Rocco DiSpirito.

Since athletes have won the last four mirrorball trophies, Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke and Misty May-Treanor & Maksim Chmerkovskiy seem the most likely duos to win. But I can't help but root for Jeffrey Ross, whose material was only slightly less off-color than Cloris Leachman's at Comedy Central's Roast of Bob Saget (neither clip is safe for work).

Even before the cast was officially announced, DwtS 7 had its first injury. Kim Kardashian cut her foot in her New York hotel room last night and had to be taken to the hospital. I can already imagine the uncomfortable silence during the first episode, after Samantha Harris adopts an overly familiar tone and asks Kim, "So, just what were you doing in that hotel room?"

DwtS head judge Len Goodman was featured in an interview with The Daily Mail, which is worth reading if only for the photo of Len in his bathrobe and slippers.

On the topic of judges, American Idol has added songwriter Kara DioGuardi to its panel for next season.

Production house Juma Entertainment is looking to revive the celebrity sports competition show The Superstars.

In honor of tonight's premiere of America's Toughest Jobs on NBC, EW compiled a list of 25 Risk-Filled Reality TV Shows.

In other premiere news, FOX will simultaneously stream the premieres of Fringe and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles online, but only for college students.

TV Guide has partnered with The Paley Center For Media to host a special weeklong event previewing fall's new shows.

Survivor: China's dimwitted love birds, Jamie and Erik, are engaged and looking for someone to pay for their wedding. Don't count on it, you two. You ain't exactly Rob and Amber.

DwtS 7 Cast Announcement

The cast of Dancing with the Stars 7 was officially revealed on today's edition of Good Morning America. Here are the names of the participants, as well as the names of their pro partners:

Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer
Rocco DiSpirito & Karina Smirnoff
Misty May-Treanor & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke
Toni Braxton & Alec Mazo
Kim Kardashian & Mark Ballas
Cody Linley & Julianne Hough
Cloris Leachman & Corky Ballas
Ted McGinley & Inna Brayer
Brooke Burke & Derek Hough
Jeffrey Ross & Edyta Sliwinska
Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson
Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani

There are a few new pros this season, including Mark Ballas's dad, Corky. Fans of So You Think You Can Dance are already familiar with Lacey Schwimmer. And here's a video of Inna Brayer in action on America's Ballroom Challenge:

Ox Notes: August 22, 2008

Although the Dancing with the Stars 7 cast won't officially be announced until Monday on Good Morning America, the website Gossip Sauce posted what it purports to be the complete cast list, including brief bios of the alleged participants:

Kim Kardashian
Cloris Leachman
Lance Bass
Toni Braxton
Brooke Burke
Maurice Greene
Cody Linley
Susan Lucci
Jeff Ross
Warren Sapp
Misty May-Treanor
Ted McGinley
Mark McGrath

Several of the celebrities on the list have long been rumored to be in the cast, including Lance Bass and Kim Kardashian. DwtS 2 runner-up Jerry Rice essentially confirmed to TV Guide that Warren Sapp will participate in DwtS 7.

A source confirmed to My Ox Is Broken that Maurice Greene is definitely participating in Dancing with the Stars 7, and that his professional partner is Cheryl Burke.

Assuming the list is accurate, ABC has decided to extend this season's run for an extra week. Previous DwtS casts have topped out at twelve participants.

Starting in September, the Travel Channel will rerun The Amazing Race 12. The cable network also acquired rights to rebroadcast TAR 13 after it finishes its run on CBS this fall.

This week's auf'd Project Runway designer, Daniel, comes across as much more likable in this interview with People than he did on the show.

Variety has several articles about the power of music on TV, from television's capacity to resurrect one-hit wonders to its ability to launch careers of new artists, especially if their songs appear in iPod commercials.

NBC's decision to air Olympics coverage around the clock on multiple platforms has paid off; 206 million people have watched the Beijing Games in the first 13 days, and NBC's official website has logged over 1 billion page views. Be sure to check the official website for details on Sunday night's Closing Ceremonies.

Ox Notes: August 21, 2008

Six new reality shows debut on cable tonight, and I'm not interested in any of them. Reality Blurred has an article about the new shows and where you can find them. Variety reviewed three of the shows: The Principal's Office, The Cho Show, and Tabatha's Salon Takeover.

If you're interested in producing your own reality show, $300 will reserve a place for you in Reality TV Boot Camp.

Last night's episode of Project Runway featured outfits for drag queens, and Tim Gunn and Michael Kors posted their thoughts on the costumes in their Bravo blogs.

The New York Times profiled comedian Jon Stewart, who was named the fourth most admired journalist in the country in a 2007 poll.

When The Bachelor returns in 2009, the single guy up for grabs will be the losing finalist from the last season of The Bachelorette, Jason Mesnick.

Dancing with the Stars pro Julianne Hough told People that she's dating country singer Chuck Wicks.

Seventeen countries have bought the rights to produce regional versions of ABC's game show Wipeout. The international versions will be filmed on a massive set in Argentina, while the U.S. version will continue to be produced domestically.

Veteran character actor Julius Carry died on August 19 of pancreatic cancer. While TV audiences know him from his roles in comedies like The Adventures of Briscoe Country Jr. and Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, his most memorable role was undoubtedly Sho'nuff, The Shogun of Harlem in the film The Last Dragon. Bow down to the master:

Ox Notes: August 20, 2008

Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy told OK! Magazine that he will participate in the upcoming season, after taking last season off.

If ex-NFLer Warren Sapp joins the DwtS 7 cast as rumored, he'll have to schedule dance rehearsals around his new gig as an analyst on Showtime's Inside the NFL.

Another former pro football player, Antonio Freeman of the Green Bay Packers, told ESPN that he's in talks to join the DwtS cast for Season 8.

EW's Michael Ausiello reports that Veronica Mars scribe Rob Thomas recently spoke with Kristen Bell, the actress who portrayed the title character, about the possibility of a VM feature film.

While TV critics are buzzing about The CW's decision not to send out preview copies of 90210 -- fueling speculation that the show isn't very good -- the Chicago Tribune's blog The Watcher has a list of other shows which haven't been screened for critics.

MSNBC announced that political analyst and Countdown with Keith Olbermann guest host Rachel Maddow is getting her own nightly show on the network, starting September 8. Olbermann himself broke the news yesterday on the website Daily Kos.

Rachel Maddow is the smartest political analyst on TV, and one of my favorite on air personalities. She's adept at getting good answers out of her guests, forcing them to support their claims with evidence and not just talking points. The Rachel Maddow Show will be a great addition to MSNBC's lineup.

Ox Notes: August 19, 2008

CBS announced the cast of The Amazing Race 13, which includes a pair of hippie beekeepers in their 60s. Host Phil Keoghan told The Associated Press that he finds the team of frat brothers especially amusing. TAR 13 premieres September 28.

TV Guide has a handy online calendar of fall premiere dates. The latest print edition of TV Guide, which hits newsstands on Thursday, is sponsored exclusively by ABC, and will feature 21 pages of ads for the network's fall lineup.

The CW has decided not to screen the new 90210 for critics. According to Naperville Sun critic Wendy Fox Weber, that can mean only one thing: "90210 stinks."

TMZ reports that Dancing with the Stars producers were ready to cast 82-year-old actress Cloris Leachman for Season 7, but dumped her in favor of singer Toni Braxton. According to the report, producers thought that Braxton would make the more compelling contestant because she has a heart condition.

I sure hope that DwtS casting decisions aren't being made based on which celebrity is more likely to produce a dramatic dance floor injury, a la Marie Osmond and Cristian de la Fuente.

EW.com has an interview with Project Runway designer Kelli, who really isn't taking her auf'ing well.

The Chicago Tribune's TV blog, The Watcher, offers some explanations for why people watch The Hills. I haven't yet fallen under the fake documentary's spell, but perhaps I will when Heidi & Spencer get married on live TV. Or maybe not.

Ox Notes: August 18, 2008

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, professional dancers Julianne and Derek Hough will both participate in the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars. Julianne's role will also expand to include some singing, although the article doesn't specify in what context the budding country music star will perform.

Derek Hough and fellow DwtS pro Mark Ballas recently had their belongings stolen from a van parked outside of an Outback Steakhouse in Minnesota, where they were dining with Kristi Yamaguchi.

The first eight days of the 2008 Summer Olympics were watched by 185 million people, putting the Beijing Games on course to be the most watched Olympics ever.

People interviewed the most recently auf'd Project Runway designer, Kelli, who has nothing but bad things to say about her partner in the losing challenge, Daniel.

The Los Angeles Times has an interview with Bonnie Hunt about her new syndicated daytime talk show.

TheWB.com launches on August 27 with reruns of popular shows like Friends and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as new shows created just for the website. One of those new shows is Downers Grove, presumably named after the Chicago suburb responsible for Denise Richards and comedian Emo Phillips, who wrote the song "I Like to Shop in Downtown Downers Grove."

Ox Notes: August 15, 2008

ABC is in hot water over a memo that seemingly encourages its producers to find ways to avoid paying licensing fees for international show formats. The network has had much success adapting U.K. shows for American audiences, including Wife Swap, Supernanny, and, of course, Dancing with the Stars.

Reality Blurred kept an eye on the workroom clock during the most recent episode of Project Runway. Based on the times shown on the clock during different segments, there's an awful lot of editing that takes place before an episode ever makes it to air.

Variety has an article about the nominees in the category of Best Reality Show Host.

Despite Moonlight's cancellation, Alex O'Loughlin has signed a talent holding deal with CBS.

Barry Bostwick, who played Brad in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, thinks remaking the cult classic is a bad idea.

There are a number of new items up for bid at Clothes Off Our Backs, the celebrity charity auction site, including a maternity shirt worn by Dancing with the Stars co-host Samantha Harris.

Speaking of DwtS, ESPN's Patrick Hruby marvels that the International Olympic Committee hasn't made ballroom dancing an Olympic sport yet, given the enormous popularity of ballroom dancing shows in countries around the world.

In case you'd like to plan your weekend Olympic viewing, you can find the television schedule at NBC's official Olympic website.

I plan on spending a little quality time at Quigley's Pub this weekend, watching some of the matches from the opening weekend of English Premier League soccer, decked out in my new Liverpool jersey (my final birthday present). You'll never walk alone!

Ox Notes: August 14, 2008

My favorite Dancing with the Stars 7 rumor thus far has 80-year-old Adam West -- TV's Batman -- joining the cast. West also starred in the awful film Zombie Nightmare, which prompted one of my favorite Mystery Science Theater 3000 comments, regarding the slow-ambling title character: "John Goodman on Hume Cronyn's back could outrun this guy."

Speaking of MST3K, EW has an article about a new project by Joel Hodgson and the other refugees from the Satellite of Love, called Cinematic Titanic. The new show, available on DVD, is pretty much the same as MST3K, only without robots.

Variety reviewed Top Chef: The Tour.

Olympian Michael Phelps spends his downtime watching the nature documentary Planet Earth on DVD. He has good taste.

In other Olympic news, People reports that soccer superstar David Beckham will take part in the closing ceremonies, presumably taking the torch on behalf of London, host of the 2012 Games.

According to Variety, TV critics, who normally spend August reviewing advanced copies of pilots of new fall shows, are freaking out because they have nothing to review. The writers strike earlier this year put production behind schedule, meaning that networks will likely be tweaking their premiere episodes until the last minute.

The New York Observer has an article about the real star of Gossip Girl, 15-year-old Taylor Momsen. The CW created a Season 1 highlight reel to catch viewers up on the major plot points before the second season premieres on September 1:

Ox Notes: August 13, 2008

The Beverly Hills, 90210 remake is down one star from the original series. Tori Spelling couldn't settle on terms with the show's producers, and has pulled out of the new series. Spelling was reportedly offered less money per episode than her fellow original 90210 co-stars, Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty. Garth told EW that she's "bummed" by the news.

Fellow Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, Ian Ziering, told People that reprising Steve Sanders for the new series "might be a step backwards" for his career.

Dancing with the Stars apparently has a limit on the number of celebrities with reality shows on E! allowed in each season, because Denise Richards won't be a part of DwtS 7. It's complicated.

The Mole ended its season on Monday night with an audience of fewer than 3 million viewers.

Being up against the Olympics certainly didn't help The Mole. Total viewership of the Beijing Games has already surpassed 143 million people in the United States.

Variety has an article about the absence of stand-up comics among the actors nominated in the Emmy's Leading Actor in a Comedy category.

Variety's Brian Lowry speculates that the popularity of social networking sites might be responsible for the recent proliferation of vampire dramas on television. Hmm...

Ox Notes: August 11, 2008

With two weeks to go before the Dancing with the Stars 7 cast is officially announced, rumors are flying. Retired NFL quarterback Dan Marino says he won't be on the show. But Tom Selleck might.

With Steve Guttenberg having competed in Season 6, and Selleck supposedly lined up for Season 7, DwtS casting directors seem obligated to try and land Ted Danson for Season 8, thereby completing the 3 Men and a Baby trifecta.

FOXNews reports that not only is Kim Kardashian in the DwtS 7 cast, but so is her mother, Kris Jenner. The article also mentions that Tara Reid wasn't considered "family friendly" enough for Dancing with the Stars. But Kim Kardashian is?

Catching up on news about this summer's big dancing show, People, Zap2It, and Us magazine have interviews with So You Think You Can Dance 4 champion Joshua Allen.

Us also posted an interview with SYTYCD judge Mary Murphy about the Samba she danced at the finale, as well as Murphy's and choreographer Dan Karaty's thoughts on the season's final performance show.

I've got Olympic fever, and so do a lot of other people, apparently. Friday night's opening ceremonies were watched by more people than any other other opening ceremonies held outside of the United States (Atlanta in 1996 still holds the overall record).

Are any other fans of The Mole disappointed in ABC's decision to air the season finale tonight, opposite the Olympics? I could've done without that mid-season clip show.

EW posted a slideshow of the top 25 celebrity guest appearances on Sesame Street.

I'm taking tomorrow off to celebrate my birthday. See you all on Wednesday!

Ox Notes: August 7, 2008

Tonight's the big night for So You Think You Can Dance. Unfortunately, the Chicago-area FOX affiliate is airing a Bears pre-season football game in SYTYCD's regular timeslot, and isn't airing the finale until 11 p.m. Grrr...

People.com caught up with the SYTYCD finalists before they performed last night, and Zap2It has a recap of the episode. Here are links to videos of the performances: Courtney & Twitch, Katee & Joshua, Katee & Courtney, Twitch & Joshua, Katee & Twitch, Courtney & Joshua, Group Number

In honor of the finale, EW compiled a slideshow of the best SYTYCD routines of all time, complete with videos of the performances. Us magazine tracked down some former contestants for career updates and their thoughts on who should win this season of So You Think You Can Dance.

TV Guide posted a video interview with last week's eliminated contestants, Chelsie and Mark.

In other SYTYCD news, Us magazine reports that choreographer Dan Karaty will lend his talents to America's Got Talent, while remaining involved with So You Think You Can Dance.

ABC announced that my favorite show of the summer, Wipeout, will return next summer. FOX's stunt-themed game show, Hole in the Wall, premieres September 11, taking over Moment of Truth's timeslot at 8 ET.

ABC is currently working on a number of pilots, which could hit the air in early 2009.

CSI is hoping to fill the void left by William Peterson, who'll depart the show after this season's tenth episode, with Laurence Fishburne.

Variety has an article about the challenges NBC is up against during the Summer Olympics, as the network balances broadcasting the games with covering the protests surrounding the event -- all under the watchful eye of the censor-happy Chinese government.

TV Guide has an interview with Kathy Griffin, who had to convince Bravo that an episode of My Life on the D-List filmed entirely at Walter Reed hospital could be funny.

I'm taking the day off tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

Ox Notes: August 6, 2008

Dancing with the Stars 4 champion and Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno will be the guest judge on tonight's episode of Project Runway. Any chance the challenge won't involved shiny spandex?

Emily, the designer auf'd last week, didn't seem to be taking her elimination well when she talked to EW and People.

Shows like So You Think You Can Dance, which airs the first half of its season finale tonight on Fox, have opened up lots of opportunities for choreographers.

Reality Blurred is skeptical of an insider's list of Dancing with the Stars 7 contestants provided to In Touch Weekly. The list includes names we've heard before, like Lance Bass and Florence Henderson, along with new names like Toni Braxton and Dan Marino.

If Dan Marino were to join the cast, he would become the third NutriSystem spokesperson to compete on Dancing with the Stars, following in the footsteps of Marie Osmond and Joey Fatone. Who's next, Ronald McDonald? Jared from Subway?

Reality Blurred is also encouraging fans of The Mole not to protest the show's inevitable cancellation, saying their efforts would be better spent urging ABC to release the show's second season on DVD.

The Summer Olympics officially begin on Friday, but a few soccer qualifying matches are being played today and tomorrow. I'm going back to bed now so that I'll be ready to wake up at 4:55 a.m. ET on Thursday for the U.S. men's match against Japan. Sweet dreams!

Ox Notes: August 5, 2008

A rigorous rehearsal schedule is taking its toll on the So You Think You Can Dance finalists. On Saturday, two of the dancers -- reportedly Twitch and Joshua -- were taken to the hospital and treated for dehydration. Judge Mary Murphy spilled the beans about the hospitalization at Fox's Teen Choice Awards, then promptly tripped and sprained her ankle.

Blog MeTalkinToYou has the scoop on what dances the SYTYCD finalists will perform on Wednesday night. The blog also notes that Thursday night's finale is being preempted in the Chicago area by a Bears preseason football game. Thanks, local Fox affiliate.

SYTYCD judge and producer Nigel Lythgoe announced that he will no longer produce American Idol, giving him more time to focus on developing international versions of So You Think You Can Dance.

Shannon Elizabeth told People that Derek Hough didn't propose marriage to her. She said that she hopes that his new partner on Dancing with the Stars is someone "who's like 70, 80 years old."

The AMPTP is refuting rumors of informal meetings with SAG; the studios say they've had no contact with the actors union since July 16.

TLC will debut a new home makeover show on August 23 called Making It Home: Greensburg, which will help residents of the Kansas town devastated by a tornado in May 2007. Here's hoping it does well in the ratings so that TLC can bring the show to other town's afflicted by natural disasters.

Law & Order: SVU will reunite Josh Charles and Teri Polo, who played Dan and Rebecca on my beloved Sports Night, on an episode to air September 30.

EW caught up with ten reality stars, including Evan "Joe Millionaire" Marriott and Taylor from Kid Nation, and asked if sacrificing their dignity for 15-minutes of fame was worth it. Most of the stars answered, "No."

Ox Notes: August 4, 2008

Good news, So You Think You Can Dance fans: Fox has officially picked up the series for a fifth season, which will air next summer. TV Guide has an interview with the dancers eliminated last Thursday, Chelsie and Mark.

Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke told E! that the odds of Lance Bass dancing with a male partner in Season 7 are pretty slim.

In other DwtS news, Shannon Elizabeth reportedly turned down a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Derek Hough. And former DwtS pro, Nick Kosovich, recently taught a seminar in Sarasota Springs, NY.

An article in the Boston Globe investigated why Americans seem increasingly content to watch dancing on TV, instead of going out dancing themselves.

SAG leaders say they are still trying to work out a contract between actors and the studios, although through back channels rather than formal meetings.

TV Guide interviewed Jon Hamm, who says he's nowhere near as stylish as Don Draper, the character he plays on Mad Men.

There's a debate in the MOIB household as to whether we should keep watching the entire second season of Mad Men on our basic cable connection, or 1) upgrade to an HD package and watch it weekly, with commercials, 2) download the series from iTunes every week, and watch it without commercials, or 3) wait until the season is over, buy the Blu-Ray DVD, and watch it as a marathon, as we did with the first season.

After reading this analysis of last night's episode, I'm leaning toward option 3. The article pointed out a detail from the previous episode that I'd already forgotten about, which made me think that I might be better off watching the shows in quick succession, rather than waiting a week in between episodes.

What do you think we should do? Are there any shows you prefer to watch on DVD, instead of week-to-week?

Ox Notes: August 1, 2008

A spokesperson for Dan Quayle told TV Guide that the former VP will not be competing in Dancing with the Stars 7. Neither will comedian Kathy Griffin, apparently.

Zap2It has a recap of last night's So You Think You Can Dance results show. TV Guide posted video of an interview with last week's eliminated dancers, Comfort and Will.

Us magazine posted some thoughts on this week's SYTYCD performance show from Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty, who doesn't seem too impressed by any this season's Top 6 dancers.

Reality Blurred wrote about Project Runway 5's impressive ratings, in spite of cast members that are "less engaging and more annoying" than in previous seasons. Zap2It's TV Gal agrees with that sentiment, and so do I -- or should I say, so does Kathy.

In other Bravo reality show news, Top Chef 2's curly-haired, diabetic hunk, Sam Talbot, got engaged over the weekend.

Executive producer Bertram Van Munster dropped some hints about the upcoming season of The Amazing Race, which premieres on September 28.

With America in the middle of a housing crisis, Property Ladder host Kirsten Kemp is taking a break from teaching amateurs how to flip houses for profit, and will now host a new show on TLC aimed to help struggling home owners make small improvements to boost their home's value. Hope For Your Home premieres August 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Also new to TLC is Battleground Earth (not to be confused with the John Travolta flick Battlefield Earth), which pits rapper Ludacris against rocker Tommy Lee in a battle to promote eco-awareness. The Motley Crue drummer talked with TV Guide about how the show, which premieres on TLC on August 7 at 8 p.m. ET, has turned him into a typical dad, yelling at his kids to turn off the lights when they leave the room.

The producers of Wizard's First Rule have changed the name of the series to the totally generic Legend of the Seeker, which sounds more like a subtitle than a series title. Perhaps they just pulled a couple of words out of a hat and plugged them into the J.R.R. Tolkien Fantasy Epic Name Generator™: "_____ of the _____."

My disappointment is mitigated somewhat by their casting of Craig Parker, who played Haldir in the Lord of the Rings movies, as a villain in the series. But, still, they couldn't come up with anything better than Legend of the Seeker?