Ox Notes: October 29, 2009

In her Top Chef blog, judge Gail Simmons addressed something I wondered about while watching the show last night: where were the eggs and dairy products? The meal needed to be vegetarian, not vegan (no animal products of any kind), and the producers encouraged the chefs to use eggs and dairy. No wonder the judges had to go out for dinner after taping the show.

Judge Tom Colicchio also blogged about the episode, and the eliminated chef discussed how the contestants pass the time in a house with no TV or reading materials.

In related news, Top Chef 5 bad boy Stefan Richter is looking for love on the Internet.

Pure DwtS rounded up some interview videos filmed after this week's Dancing with the Stars Results Show. People filed What You Didn't See reports from the set of the Monday and Tuesday shows.

Ahead of tonight's new episode of Survivor: Samoa, here's a link to Jeff Probst's blog post about Russell's collapse, as well as Russell's interviews with ET and EW.

TV Guide has a list of TV shows in danger of being canceled. The list includes Gossip Girl and Three Rivers, which is referred to in my house by an alternate name: Handsome Doctor.

Last week, I gave up on Flash Forward because the plot wasn't progressing. Also, the interpersonal drama relied on people keeping secrets from one another just for the sake of creating interpersonal drama, my least favorite plot device.

I'm also considering bailing on Supernatural, which started taking itself too seriously as soon as it introduced the whole Heaven vs. Hell plotline. The Watcher's preview of the remaining Fall 2009 episodes gives me hope that Sam & Dean might get to have some fun and crack a few jokes again, like they did during the first season.

Ox Notes: October 28, 2009

Had a bit of a scheduling problem yesterday, so here's a special Wednesday edition of Ox Notes.

There don't appear to have been any cameras backstage after last night's Dancing with the Stars 9 double elimination, but departing duos Melissa & Mark and Louie & Chelsie did talk to E! and People.

I just noticed that Maksim Chmerkovskiy is blogging about DwtS for TV Guide. He posted new entries on Monday and Tuesday.

Julianne Hough's post-DwtS career has hit a speedbump; choreographer Kenny Ortega will no longer direct the Footloose remake.

As annoyed as I was with Canaan's "disturbing" behavior during last Sunday's episode of The Amazing Race, I'm even more annoyed that he believes that trying to shove his petrified girlfriend, Mika, down a waterslide was just being competitive. He made light of his actions when they got to Elimination Station and defended himself to TV Guide and People.

Ricky Gervais will host the Golden Globes on January 17. Yay!

TV viewing by kids is at an 8-year high. Boo!

I'm thrilled that Bravo is planning a competition for pastry chefs called Top Chef: Just Desserts. A couple of years ago, I took an introductory course on basic French pastries at The French Pastry School in Chicago, and it changed my life. I can't wait to see these talented artist-scientists compete Top Chef style.

Ox Notes: October 22, 2009

So You Think You Can Dance revealed its Top 20 dancers last night, and EW ranked the contestants.

Also on TV last night was Top Chef's latest edition of restaurant wars. Bravo's website has blog posts by judges Toby Young and Tom Colicchio, as well as an interview with the ousted cheftestant. But Reality Blurred wonders if the Voltaggio brothers' constant bickering is dragging down the season.

In related news, Top Chef Masters will return for a second season next year.

If you can't wait for tonight's dramatic episode of Survivor: Samoa, People has a spoiler-filled interview with Jeff Probst.

What do Survivor winners do after they leave the show? They join the FCC.

Pure DwtS posted a collection of video interviews recorded after Tuesday night's Dancing with the Stars Results Show. People filed a What You Didn't See report from the set.

The CW ordered more episodes of Vampire Diaries and Melrose Place.

Stay current on the fates of current network shows with Live Feed's TV Series Survival Status Chart.

Fox will release a DVD of the first 13 episodes of Glee on December 29, which works out great for people like me who want to get into the show but missed the early episodes.

Fox also announced its plans for November sweeps, only to amend them a few days later.

A second bizarre celebrity drug bust finds Sam Jones -- better known as Pete on Smallville -- arrested for allegedly selling oxycodone, as Big Brother winner Adam Jasinski was earlier this week. The DEA has made over 300 drug arrests nationwide this week, and I'm curious to learn how the arrests of Jones and Jasinski are related, if at all.

Finally, one of the last of the major roles in the HBO pilot A Game of Thrones has been filled. Baywatch alum Jason Momoa will play Khal Drogo. Tower of the Hand has a complete gallery of actors cast in the pilot.

Ox Notes: October 20, 2009

Derek Hough, who wasn't well enough to dance during last night's Dancing with the Stars 9 Performance Show, felt well enough to stand in the post-show interview line, populated by cameras from ET, The Insider and Access Hollywood.

Kelly Osbourne went to the hospital after last night's show with a shoe buckle injury.

Before performing his Argentine Tango, Louie Vito blogged about the routine for People.

Disappointingly, a judge has allowed Rod Blagojevich to participate in The Celebrity Apprentice 3. His castmates for the show include music industry vets Bret Michaels, Cyndi Lauper and Sharon Osbourne.

Big Brother 9 winner Adam Jasinski used his prize money to finance a drug dealing operation. He was caught selling oxycodone pills over the weekend and now faces a $1 million fine and 20 years in prison.

People has an interview with The Amazing Race's Lance & Keri, who got married after participating in the show. They joined the other ousted teams at Elimination Station this week, which seems all the more boring because of the continued absence of Justin & Zev.

Jeff Probst wrote in his EW blog that this week's episode contains "the scariest moment" in Survivor history when one of the contestants is seriously injured.

Unfortunately, CBS revealed what happens in a promo for Survivor shown during Sunday night's episode of The Amazing Race. The network did the same thing the week before when they revealed that Justin & Zev were the team that lost a passport in a promo that aired during 60 Minutes -- right before the episode of TAR was about to begin!

Giving away the goods in promos lessens the urgency and desire to watch them, making it more likely that viewers will DVR the show and fast forward through the commercials. Advertisers need to pressure CBS to stop spoiling their shows in their attempts to promote them. I'm sure they carry more weight with the network than we disgruntled fans do.

Ox Notes: October 15, 2009

Finally! TLC will end Jon & Kate Plus 8 in November, after the network has used up all of the footage it's already shot. Sadly, Jon Gosselin plans to continue working in television.

Fox Reality Channel will meet the same fate as Jon & Kate Plus 8 in March.

Using the latest form of celebrity news dissemination, So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Mia Michaels announced that she's leaving the show via Twitter.

In other SYTYCD news, judge Mary Murphy is on the cover of the current issue of Us magazine, in which she discusses surviving an abusive marriage.

Next week's Dancing with the Stars Results Show will feature a tribute to Michael Jackson, choreographed by pros Mark Ballas, Derek Hough, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Tony Dovolani and Cheryl Burke.

Tonight's new episode of Project Runway will feature celebrity guest judge Christina Aguilera.

In other Project Runway news, Atari is working on a video game based on the show, set for release on the Wii sometime next year.

Catching up on Survivor news, here are links to the latest blog post by Jeff Probst and interviews ousted contestant Yasmin gave to Reality Blurred, People and TV Guide.

Last night's episode of Top Chef: Las Vegas yielded some great additional materials, including an entertaining video with the losing chef, Q & A's with Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, an instructive blog post by Tom Colicchio and a passionate defense of the mispronunciation of words by Toby Young (my favorite piece of the lot).

The CW revealed details of the new dramas the network is developing for next season.

Production on the HBO pilot A Game of Thrones is set to begin on October 24, welcome news for fans of George R. R. Martin impatiently waiting for the next book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Ox Notes: October 13, 2009

After last night's Dancing with the Stars 9 Performance Show, Access Hollywood sent ace reporter LaToya Jackson to get the scoop from the competitors. Wait, LaToya Jackson?! The Insider and ET also had cameras backstage.

Aaron Carter & Karina Smirnoff spent their time backstage telling OK! and People that they're not a dating each other.

People has a load of other DwtS articles, including a blog post by Louie Vito, interviews with Maksim Chmerkovskiy and MJH & Mark Ballas, and a What You Didn't See report from the set of last night's episode.

DwtS 9 is the lowest-rated season of the show since Season 1. The numbers are especially bad among viewers aged 18-49, where they've dropped about 25% from last season.

In related news, former DwtS champ Julianne Hough will play a dancer in the upcoming Christina Aguilera-Cher film Burlesque.

DVR numbers were just released for the first week of the fall TV season, September 21-27. The numbers were especially good for The CW, where several shows get almost a third of their viewers from DVR playback.

I was sad to see Zev & Justin eliminated from The Amazing Race on Sunday after Zev's passport went missing. Justin explained in this Elimination Station video that the passport fell out of his pocket when they got lost during the monkey challenge, a scene which didn't make it to air.

Zev & Justin gave interviews to People and TV Guide, where they were asked what prize they won for reaching the mat first (they didn't get to keep the prize, obviously). When they initially checked in, Phil Keoghan announced that they'd won a pair of motorcycles, prompting Zev to exclaim, "Motorcycle? I can barely drive a car!"

The recently canceled NBC cop drama Southland may get a second chance on TNT.

Disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich will participate in the upcoming season of The Celebrity Apprentice. Networks, will you please stop casting indicted former politicians and their wives in your reality shows? It's embarrassing.

Ox Notes: October 8, 2009

To get you psyched for tonight's new episode of Survivor: Samoa, I direct you to an EW video interview with Ben, the contestant most recently voted off the island. Survivor vet Eliza Orlins joins EW staffers Dalton Ross and Josh Wolk for an interview that is both appalling and hilarious.

Ben is a racist but spends the interview protesting that he's not, in the process providing more evidence that he is definitely a racist. Eliza's reaction shots to Ben's comments are priceless. Believe me, it's worth watching.

In other Survivor news, Jeff Probst blogged about the local laborers the show employed while filming in Samoa. The resort that served as Ponderosa was destroyed in last month's tsunami.

People magazine is a goldmine of Dancing with the Stars news. The online version has an interview with Tom DeLay, a What You Didn't See report from Tuesday night's Results Show and a report that Maksim Chmerkovskiy feels "betrayed" by Karina Smirnoff's attentions toward Aaron Carter.

The magazine also has an interview with Amazing Racers Marcy & Ron.

In other DwtS news, remember that chimp Tom Bergeron mentioned on Monday night's show? PETA convinced producer Conrad Green to cut him out of Tuesday night's comedy segment.

Pure DwtS found a great rant on the ABC message board in which the writer begs Samantha Harris to take hosting lessons. Funny stuff.

Just what you've been waiting for: a Corky Ballas update.

Tuesday's DwtS Results Show had twice the total viewers of the latest episode of So You Think You Can Dance but the same number of viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

Do you have any interest in watching SYTYCD choreographer Dan Karaty compete for his own fashion line on Bravo?

I recently upgraded my cable box and discovered that I have the G4 network. It's led me to discover the wonder that is Ninja Warrior. I no longer need any other television shows.

Ox Notes: October 7, 2009

So long, Debi & Maks and Tom & Cheryl. Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider interviewed the departing stars, who also spoke with Us and People on the way out of the Dancing with the Stars ballroom.

EW recapped last night's DwtS Results Show, and People filed a What You Didn't See report from Monday night's Performance Show.

ESPN's 30 for 30 film series debuted last night, with new documentaries premiering every Tuesday. Last night's opening doc -- about Wayne Gretzky's move to the Kings, directed by Peter Berg -- reairs tonight on ESPN at 10 ET.

Bravo has ordered a seventh season of Top Chef, which returns with a new episode tonight.

Mark your calendars for November 20. That's the day that James Franco begins his two-month story arc on General Hospital.

Project Runway's Tim Gunn has a guest spot on the 100th episode of How I Met Your Mother.

The October 16 episode of Law & Order is inspired by Jon & Kate Gosselin. In related news, TV Tango compiled a list of 20 L&O episodes featuring stars before they were famous.

TV Guide interviewed The Amazing Race's Marcy & Ron, who seem much happier about their free vacation at a Vietnamese resort than previously ousted couple Garrett & Jessica are in this Elimination Station video.

Ox Notes: October 1, 2009

Dancing with the Stars 9's Tuesday night Results Show was watched by 12.5 million people. That's roughly the same number of viewers as watched DwtS 8's Week 2 Results Show in March, though it was up against American Idol.

ET and Access Hollywood had cameras backstage on Tuesday night following Kathy Ireland's ouster. Ireland spoke to Us, and People posted a What You Didn't See report.

The few crew members remaining in the region where Survivor: Samoa was filmed are reportedly fine after a deadly tsunami destroyed much of the island on Tuesday. I assume tonight's episode will feature information about where viewers can contribute to disaster relief efforts, and Jeff Probst will surely address the tsunami in his EW blog post tomorrow.

Michael Kors returns in tonight's new episode of Project Runway.

Project Runway champ Christian Siriano, Top Chef contestant Fabio Viviani and Real Housewives of New York's Bethenny Frankel are all getting their own shows on Bravo.

Jon Gosselin, apparently upset about being cut out of his former show's title, is denying TLC permission to film his kids. His motives may be suspect, but it's probably best for the kids.

AMC's remake of The Prisoner premieres on November 15. You can watch all 17 episodes of the original 1960s series for free at AMC's website.

Yo Gabba Gabba! The Tour is coming to an arena near you next month.

Sesame Street's 40th season debuts on public television November 10, featuring an appearance by First Lady Michelle Obama. Other noteworthy events for the upcoming season include a Sesame Street version of Mad Men and an appearance by Ricky Gervais.

Until the new season premieres, content yourself with this hilarious AP interview in which Gervais asks Elmo if he knows what necrophilia is: