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?