Ox Notes: April 30, 2009

I have been looking forward to tonight all week. That's because tonight is when Coach will rain down his disappointment on J.T. for blindsiding Tyson on last week's episode of Survivor: Tocantins. I'm expecting an epic, Coachified version of a parental "I'm not mad about what you did; I'm mad that you lied to me" speech.

As if you couldn't have guessed, some of Coach's stories aren't completely true.

Tyson did interviews with People, Reality Blurred and TV Guide. And since I didn't link to them before, here are videos of Tyson at Ponderosa, as well as Jeff Probst's latest EW blog post.

Dancing with the Stars fans should head to the iTunes Store and download today's free episode of The Adam Carolla Podcast. Adam's guest is none other than Tom Bergeron, and they spend the first 30 minutes of the episode talking about DwtS. Be forewarned, the language isn't safe for work.

This week's Results Show was watched by 14.3 million viewers. DwtS judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who'll appear on tonight's Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, blogged about this week's dances for EW. TV Guide interviewed ousted duo Chuck Wicks & Julianne Hough.

Those short ads featuring the tagline "What did you see?" that ran during last night's episode of Lost were promos for the series Flash Forward, set to debut on ABC in the fall.

TNT announced its schedule of original shows airing on the cable network this summer.

NBC announced that The Celebrity Apprentice will return for a third season in spring 2010. Between DwtS 9, Superstars and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, won't we have run out of available celebrities by then?

Ox Notes: April 29, 2009

After last night's Dancing with the Stars Results Show, cameras from Access Hollywood and ET recorded cast members' reactions to Chuck Wicks & Julianne Hough's elimination. The cast also talked to OK!, Us and People.

In other DwtS news, host Tom Bergeron will appear on tonight's episode of E!'s Chelsea Lately. And, in an interview with OK!, Steve-O denied that he's dating Lacey Schwimmer in a way that only Steve-O can.

Moonlight star Alex O'Loughlin plays a serial killer on tonight's episode of Criminal Minds. His interviews with TV Guide and EW are pretty funny, even if you weren't a fan of his CBS vampire drama.

NBC is developing a primetime reality show about poker in which an amateur contestant plays one-on-one against a poker pro. Didn't the TV poker craze die a few years ago?

Last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live featured the obligatory exit interview with Chuck & Julianne. But the show also had exclusive footage of Melissa Rycroft meeting with her doctor, whose office looks suspiciously like the set of The Bachelor: After the Final Rose:

Ox Notes: April 28, 2009

Of all of the media outlets backstage at Monday's Dancing with the Stars Performance Show, ET got the best scoop. Tony Dovolani explained that Melissa Rycroft received some medical treatment after they recorded the rehearsal that was ultimately shown in place of a live performance. The treatment affected Melissa's ability to breathe, and she withdrew from the show 30 minutes before it went live.

The above ET video also features Shawn Johnson showing off her strong wrists by defeating Mark Ballas and Cheryl Burke in a game of Mercy.

Access Hollywood also had cameras backstage, while magazines People, OK! and Us interviewed the DwtS cast. Yahoo! posted another DwtS Buzz Session featuring Joey Lawrence and Diane Mizota.

There's only one day left to bid on the DwtS 8 Finale prize package judge Carrie Ann Inaba is auctioning off for Clothes Off Our Backs.

Before last night's DwtS Performance Show, TV Guide interviewed Lil' Kim, and Chuck Wicks took to the pages of Us to apologize to Julianne Hough's dad for accidentally grabbing his daughter's boob on last week's show.

Catching up on news about The Amazing Race, host Phil Keoghan blogged about the latest episode. Am I a sadist for loving the foot-massage-torture Road Block? CBS.com has a new video from Elimination Station.

CBS is moving my beloved Harper's Island to Saturday nights effective immediately. The move isn't exactly a punishment, since most people were recording the show on Thursday nights and watching it later anyway.

EW's PopWatch blog points out that Saturday wasn't always a TV dumping ground: "The Golden Girls and The Love Boat were top-10 hits on Saturday nights."

ABC announced the details of its May sweeps programming.

Zap2It has a slideshow of TV shows in danger of not being renewed for another season. Meanwhile, Reality Blurred has the scoop on some cable show renewals.

Recently, would-be robbers in Spain tied up a woman and began to ransack her home. The thieves fled when they recognized the woman's husband in some family photos. Dolph Lundgren foiled a robbery, and he didn't even have to be home to do it.

If you're not married to Dolph Lundgren but are looking for an effective home security system, consider purchasing one of more than 100 wax figures being auctioned off by the Hollywood Wax Museum. Burglers will think twice when they see a life-sized version of Steven Seagal, Crocodile Dundee, zombie Michael Jackson or Dr. Zaius lurking in your hallway.

Ox Notes: April 23, 2009

My new favorite show is Harper's Island. It's spooky and soapy and doesn't require much concentration. Plus, it's guaranteed to only last 13 episodes, so I don't mind devoting my time to it. TV Guide interviewed Harper's Island's sheriff, Jim Beaver, better known as Bobby on Supernatural.

Also on CBS tonight is a new episode of Survivor: Tocantins. EW posted an interview with the season's first jury member, Brendan.

In a panel discussion moderated by Survivor host Jeff Probst, TV producers recently debated whether the era of the 30-second commercial is coming to an end.

People interviewed the latest duo kicked off The Amazing Race, Mark & Michael, who claim that they knew the "pretty girls" they were partying with in the karaoke taxi were actually transvestites.

My parents will rejoice to learn that ABC is bringing back a primetime version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? for a late summer run.

Zap2It concluded its rundown of 2009 TV pilots with a review of the new shows in the works at The CW.

Michael McKean explained to the A.V. Club how Spinal Tap's songs came about.

Catching up on Dancing with the Stars news, judge Carrie Ann Inaba shared her thoughts on this week's performances in her EW blog.

OK! reports that singer Alan, er, Robin Thicke will perform on an upcoming DwtS Results Show. (Wow. I was kidding when I referenced Alan Thicke, but I just discovered at IMDb that Dr. Seaver really is Robin Thicke's dad.)

If you live in the Chicago area, you may want to check out Ballroom with a Twist at the Paramount Theater in Aurora this Saturday. The stage show is choreographed by former DwtS pro Louis van Amstel and hosted by Barbara Eden.

Ox Notes will return on Monday, April 27. Have a great weekend!

Ox Notes: April 21, 2009

In case it wasn't obvious enough from the group dance rehearsal footage on last night's Performance Show, Lawrence Taylor wants out of Dancing with the Stars. He said as much to ET after the show, and his partner, Edyta Sliwinska, told People that "it wasn't right" that David Alan Grier was eliminated before them.

Samantha Harris caught up with the cast backstage for The Insider, and the stars detailed their latest injuries to Access Hollywood. People filed at What You Didn't See report from the DwtS set, and OK! and Us chatted with the cast after the show.

Joey Lawrence and Diane Mizota sung Shawn Johnson's praises on the Yahoo! Buzz Session. Eliminated contestant Steve-O talked to TV Guide about his experience on Dancing with the Stars.

After tonight's new episode, Cupid is taking a week off to make way for a bonus episode of ABC's new cop show, The Unusuals.

Catching up on some Amazing Race news, host Phil Keoghan blogged about the latest episode for EW. CBS's website features a new Elimination Station video.

Kudos to The Hills' Lauren Conrad for hiring an acting coach to help her with her lines for an upcoming Family Guy episode.

FOX rearranged its summer schedule again.

Just in time for the networks to announce their fall plans, SAG's national board approved a new contract, virtually negating the chance of an actors strike.

With NBC the first network scheduled to announce its 2009-10 plans in early May, Zap2It reviewed the pilots the network has in development. A TV version of the movie Parenthood sounds promising if only for its star cast.

Ox Notes: April 17, 2009

I don't normally post Ox Notes on Fridays, but I feel compelled to do so today for one reason: Coach.

If you haven't been following Survivor: Tocantins, do yourself a favor and watch last night's episode (Episode 9). At the very least, read EW's recap.

Coach is one of the best contestants in the history of Survivor. He's an egomaniac who tells stories about his life so preposterous that there's no way they are true. Yet Coach isn't lying; he believes everything he says. You may hate him, but he makes for good TV.

Jeff Probst dedicated his EW blog post to Coach, disclosing a new project he has in mind for the self-styled "Dragon Slayer." E! posted a poll where you can vote on the best Coachisms from last night's show.

CBS.com has videos of this season's first jury member complaining that conditions at Ponderosa are so primitive as to be "Smith Family Robinson".

In other CBS reality show news, The Amazing Race has been renewed for a fifteenth season.

TAR 14's Mel revealed that he's disappointed that the show's producers have ignored that both Kisha and Luke are openly gay, supposedly because they want to define contestants by single issues -- as though viewers would be confused if Luke were both deaf and gay.

In Dancing with the Stars news, Ty Murray was injured when he was hit in the face with a mic pack (those things are dangerous this season). He's okay and will be able to continue with the competition.

DwtS pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy told Us he has no plans to leave the show: "In this economy, to have a job like this? Believe me, it's not a bad job!"

MTV will air the documentary Steve-O: Demise and Rise on May 3, chronicling the performer's struggles with drug abuse, his rehab and up through his first performance on Dancing with the Stars 8.

Unless something dramatic happens in the world of DwtS over the weekend -- such as another contestant being felled by a mic pack -- I'm going to take Monday off from Ox Notes. Have a nice weekend, and I'll see you in the chatroom on Monday night.

Ox Notes: April 16, 2009

With the networks set to announce their fall schedules next month, USA Today posted an online survey for TV viewers to vote for the shows they'd like to see return. The survey only covers shows deemed to be in danger of being canceled, not staples like CSI or Lost.

Keshia Knight Pulliam, better known as Rudy from The Cosby Show, is getting her own reality show on Oxygen.

Will Ferrell will guest star on a June episode of Discovery's Man vs. Wild. Ferrell spent 48 hours with host Bear Grylls in northern Sweden, where they ate reindeer eyeballs.

Greg and I are planning a trip to Turkey, and I think we're going to have to schedule it around the premiere of Turkish Golden Girls.

Survivor: Tocantins' Joe talked with People about leaving the show early due to an infected leg wound.

This week's Dancing with the Stars Results Show was watched by 14.8 million people.

An astute viewer at FailBlog noticed that DwtS pro Mark Ballas had his own kind of wardrobe malfunction last week.

After his expletive-filled, post-elimination rant, David Alan Grier apologized to judge Carrie Ann Inaba privately and publicly on Tuesday night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. His appearance on Kimmel also included a funny instructional video for people who want to be on reality TV:

Ox Notes: April 15, 2009

Gilles Marini was so bummed after his pal, Steve-O, was eliminated from Dancing with the Stars that he asked Cheryl Burke to handle their interview with Access Hollywood. ET also had cameras backstage at the Results Show.

Magazines Us, People and OK! interviewed the contestants after the Results Show, while E! got a medical update on Gilles' injured shoulder. People also filed a What You Didn't See report from the set.

Monday's Dancing with the Stars Performance Show was watched by 19.1 million viewers.

As often as I complain about the DwtS Results Show being a bunch of filler stretched out into an hour-long show, at least it ends on time, unlike American Idol. Despite changing the format to ensure a prompt ending, last night's episode of AI still ran over by two minutes, screwing up DVRs everywhere.

I was excited to read at Zap2It that one of the Idol hopefuls, Kris Allen, performed a song from the wonderful movie Once last night. It was a pretty good rendition, too.

After tossing a cat in anger, a judge ordered Project Runway contestant Kenley Collins to pay a $120 fine and stay away from her ex-fiance for two years.

Speaking of (alleged) criminals, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich has reportedly signed on as a contestant for NBC's reboot of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, which films in Costa Rica this summer. I think I speak on behalf of all Illinoisans when I beg the judge, "Don't give him permission to leave the country!"

As you watch the news today, don't be fooled into thinking the "spontaneous" tea-bagging protests against taxes are really spontaneous; they're orchestrated by the right-wing group Freedom Works. MSNBC has a thorough explanation of the Republican publicity stunt that's full of double entendres .

Finally, here's a clip of Steve-O & Lacey Schwimmer on last night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, where they reveal one special move they never got to use on Dancing with the Stars:

Ox Notes: April 14, 2009

Joey Lawrence and Diane Mizota praised judge Len Goodman in the latest Yahoo! Buzz Session. Len was the voice of reason on last night's Dancing with the Stars Performance Show, something the participants in the MOIB chatroom appreciated.

In the press line after the Performance Show, ET correspondent Maksim Chmerkovskiy made fun of Tony Dovolani's sheer, rhinestoned, rainbow shirt. Access Hollywood and The Insider also had cameras backstage, while Us and OK! printed interviews with the DwtS cast.

People filed a What You Didn't See report from the set of the Performance Show. Gilles Marini told People that he'll have surgery to repair his injured shoulder as soon as he's done with DwtS.

ABC's Lost is watched online more than any other show, to the tune of 35.8 million video streams during the month of March alone.

Last night, I finally caught up on the most recent episode of The Amazing Race. Host Phil Keoghan blogged about how much he loved the Detour challenge that required teams to karaoke in a party taxi. It was one of my favorite TAR moments as well, especially when those dweebs Mark & Michael didn't realize they were partying with transvestites.

Ox Notes: April 13, 2009

If, like me, you've always wondered why the Dancing with the Stars Results Show is so darn long, it's because ABC makes $205,000 for each 30-second commercial it sells during the show. That works out to $5 million an episode.

TV Guide has interviews with DwtS contestants Chuck Wicks and David Alan Grier. ET asked the contestants about their favorite things, with Family Guy being the generally acknowledged favorite TV show.

Has any network ever capitalized on a news story so quickly? Less than 24 hours after the dramatic rescue of an American freighter captain from Somali pirates, Spike announced a new series about U.S. Navy efforts to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Showtime decided not to pick up any of the four of the pilots it ordered.

Note to my brother, Dan: Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi posed nude for the April 21 issue of Allure magazine. Mark your calendar accordingly.

Ox Notes: April 9, 2009

Catching up on Dancing with the Stars news, Jewel was convinced that her husband, Ty Murray, was going to be eliminated this week. People has a What You Didn't See report from the set of the Results Show. And Carrie Ann Inaba blogged about this week's performances for EW.

ET interviewed the latest castaway eliminated from Survivor: Tocantins, Sydney Wheeler. Casting for the 19th and 20th seasons of Survivor is ongoing, with filming for season 19 set to begin in a couple of months.

There are a few new shows debuting on the major networks tonight: Southland and Parks and Recreation on NBC and Harper's Island on CBS. I'm willing to give Harper's Island a try, if only because I know the mystery will be solved within 13 episodes.

The Futon Critic has a list of all of the stunts that FOX is preparing for May Sweeps.

ABC announced its summer schedule, which includes the remaining, previously unaired episodes of canceled series Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money.

If you're looking for the last episodes of other shows that were pulled off the air before completing their runs, you might want to check out DirectTV. The pay service just announced plans to air the series The Nine, Eyes and Smith in their entirety.

Ox Notes: April 8, 2009

David Alan Grier deserves an award for the Most Hilarious Comment After Being Eliminated from Dancing with the Stars. He told Access Hollywood that judge Carrie Ann Inaba -- whom he worked with on In Living Color -- could "eat a dick." He expressed similar sentiments when he spoke to OK! Magazine.

I'm convinced that DAG's post-DwtS ranting is a joke, and I reference as proof his recent appearance on the Adam Corolla Podcast. He told a story about the months he spent trying to convince Dr. Drew Pinsky that he was mad at him, even though he really wasn't, simply because he thought it was funny.

For more backstage interviews, check out ET and The Insider. Julianne Hough told E! after the show that she won't be back for DwtS next season.

People has a What You Didn't See report from the set of Monday's Performance Show, which was watched by 19.6 million viewers.

No charges have been filed against So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Alex Da Silva, who was arrested on Saturday on four allegations of sexual assault, though the police investigation continues.

NBC is moving the low-rated Kings to Saturday nights.

On May 4, Lifetime will debut a multiplatform cooking show called Cook Yourself Thin, featuring Top Chef Season 1 contestant Candice Kumai.

FOX is developing yet another horrible reality show, this time aiming to capitalize on the economic downturn. Someone's Gotta Go will enable the employees of a small business to choose which of their coworkers should be fired. Seriously? This isn't The Apprentice. Who wants to watch someone be fired from their real job?

Ox Notes: April 7, 2009

If you haven't been watching the Yahoo! Buzz Session coverage of Dancing with the Stars this season, check out this week's analysis of the performances. Joey Lawrence's jealousy of Gilles Marini is hilarious, as exemplified in Joey's dissing of Gilles' shirtless Paso Doble. Diane Mizota is a great co-host for calling Joey out on it.

Access Hollywood, ET and The Insider had cameras backstage after last night's DwtS Performance Show. Us and OK! caught up with cast members as well.

MOIB reader OxPal sent me a link to an interview with DwtS costume designer Randall Christensen, who talked about the challenges of creating costumes for a live TV show.

Ox Notes: April 2, 2009

Finally, the long-awaited sixth season of Project Runway is ready to air. A judge cleared the former Bravo hit to run this summer on Lifetime.

Meanwhile, Bravo revealed the identities of the contestants of its new fashion show, aptly titled The Fashion Show. The series, which debuts on May 7, features a Top Chef-style format, including a mini-challenge and an elimination challenge.

Catching up Dancing with the Stars news, People has a What You Didn't See report from the set of Tuesday's Results Show, which was watched by 13 million viewers. And here's the Yahoo! Buzz Session about Monday's Performance Show.

If you think dancing six hours a day means that the women of DwtS allow themselves to eat whatever they want, think again. Access Hollywood reports that after a hard day of rehearsal, Shawn Johnson indulges in "a piece of chocolate." How decadent! Given the media outcry Cheryl Burke generated last season after gaining five pounds, I guess I can't blame them.

Survivor: Tocantins returns to CBS tonight with a brand new episode. The Futon Critic interviewed host Jeff Probst, who says that contestants often forget a truism when developing their strategies: "You cannot change who you are."

The Amazing Race is off this Sunday for the Academy of Country Music Awards. People.com asked Mel & Mike about life after the race, and Mel admitted he's "getting marriage proposals from every rest home in the country."

On June 2, G4 network will air Steve Wiebe's attempt to break the Donkey Kong world record at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo live. Wiebe was featured in the 2007 documentary, The King of Kong, a thoroughly enjoyable movie even if you don't play video games.

Ox Notes: April 1, 2009

After last night's Dancing with the Stars double elimination, the cast chatted on camera with Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, and off camera with E!, OK! and Us.

People filed a backstage report from Monday night's DwtS Performance Show, which was watched by 20.2 million viewers.

After the Performance Show, David Alan Grier revealed to Us that he's already lost 26 pounds. In June, DAG will record a comedy special for TBS at the inaugural Very Funny Festival: Just for Laughs in Chicago.

The cast of DwtS 8 was seen partying with host Tom Bergeron to celebrate his new book, I'm Hosting as Fast as I Can!.

DwtS alum Cloris Leachman recently posed for an ad for PETA, wearing a stunning gown made of cabbage leaves. Good Morning America posted an excerpt from Cloris's upcoming autobiography online.

In honor of April Fool's Day, FOX will air clips of its stars playing pranks during tonight's episodes of Lie to Me and American Idol.

Finally, here's a clip of Holly Madison & Steve Wozniak's appearance on last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live: