My Ox Is Broken

Time for an "Amazing Race" Makeover

2010-04-12T10:40:00.009-05:00

Obviously, I'm a fan of The Amazing Race. This website got its name from one of the funniest meltdowns in the history of the show:

But that clip of Colin & Christie is from Season 5. I'd argue that the show never fully recovered its original appeal after the disastrous Family Edition (Season 8). I'm sticking with the current season (16), but I don't enjoy it as much as I used to, and I know I'll forget most of the teams once the season ends.

Despite new locations and challenges every week, the show has become predictable. After inevitably getting lumped together on the same flight, leads evaporate and teams execute their Roadblocks and Detours week after week.

The new elements added over the seasons, like U-Turns and Speed Bumps, haven't improved the show. If anything, the U-Turn typically hastens the exit of strong or controversial teams, making the race less competitive and the show less interesting for viewers.

The show's casting formula doesn't help. Casting easily labeled pairs -- "The Brothers," "The Gay Couple," The Mother-Daughter Team" -- surely forces producers to reject some compelling teams each season because their role has already been filled by another team.

It's time to give The Amazing Race a face lift. First, the casting process has to change. I don't care if the season is made up of nothing but teams of siblings or friends who are dating on-and-off; I just want to watch the best teams. Qualities like humor and competitiveness should trump filling certain demographic niches.

To that end, I propose winnowing down the number of teams. Instead of casting eleven teams, cast eight teams but make every other leg a non-elimination leg, which would still allow for twelve episodes per season. Even on a known non-elimination leg, teams will race hard for the time advantage of finishing in first place and the associated prizes. Drama needn't be sacrificed.

The biggest improvement the show could make would be to get rid of the tasks and transportation issues that seem to level the playing field every leg. Whether its arriving at a challenge location hours before it opens or boarding the one-and-only flight available with the rest of the teams, these equalizers remove any advantage for the team that finished the previous leg in first place. Rarely is a team able to leap ahead by making a bold move in an airport (or fall out of contention like Charla & Mirna did in Season 5), so why not skip the airports all together?

These equalizers exist to make it easier for the production crews to organize tasks and get cameras and equipment where they need to be. The stress of losing a lead or having to sleep in a car is minor given all of the other sources of stress teams are subject to. It has nothing to do with making the leg more interesting for viewers.

To eliminate these equalizers and ease the strain on the production staff, I wish that all travel between locations would take place off camera. For example: after Leg #1 ends in Lisbon, the teams rest up and board the same flight to Moscow where Production Team 2 is waiting for them. Meanwhile, Production Team 1 flies to Tokyo to set up Leg #3.

Instead of teams starting the next leg 12 hours after they finished the previous leg, start each leg at a set time (7 a.m. perhaps). Give the teams a time advantage based on how far ahead of the last place team each pair finished, kind of like the staggered start used in the Tour de France.

Whether the time advantage is cumulative or based on a percentage of how much quicker each team finished doesn't really matter. But each leg should be designed so that it can be finished same day, avoiding boring down time as teams wait for someplace that's closed to open.

This redesigned format might make it hard to send teams on a round-the-world journey, but who cares? The show only mentions that aspect in the first and last episodes; Phil Keoghan doesn't hold up a map every week showing the teams' trans-global progress since from the start map. The whole season could be filmed in Europe or Africa and it wouldn't matter, so long as the locations are novel and the teams are interesting.

Without some changes, I don't know how much longer I can stick with the show. I've stopped watching additional online content and reading interviews with the eliminated teams because I just don't care about any of them. I don't even watch the commercials now that I have a DVR. If I'm going to watch The Amazing Race, I want to do so because it deserves my attention, not just out of a sense of nostalgia for the great show it used to be.

Ox Notes: March 4, 2010

2010-03-04T09:21:00.010-06:00

The subject of today's Ox Notes is Ox Notes itself. As of today, Ox Notes is shifting from regular posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays to more sporadic postings so that I can focus on other projects.

I'll still post here at My Ox Is Broken when the mood strikes and as news crops up closer to the premiere of Dancing with the Stars 10. I mean, is there any chance the celebs make it through preseason rehearsals without a serious injury?

In the meantime, the best place to follow me is on Twitter (http://twitter.com/kathyfgibson). I also write weekly Bollywood movie reviews for Access Bollywood (http://accessbollywood.net).

Here are a few sites I recommend for entertainment news:

Pure DwtS -- an excellent catalog of Dancing with the Stars news and commentary
People -- the best of the celebrity mags, especially their TV Watch blog
EW -- good for general TV news and home of Jeff Probst's Survivor blog, updated on Friday mornings
Reality Blurred -- a great site for reality TV news
The Watcher -- my favorite TV critic

Thanks for all of your comments and contributions during Ox Notes' three-year run. Talk to you soon!

Dancing with the Stars 10 Cast Revealed

2010-03-02T09:13:00.007-06:00

At last, the cast of Dancing with the Stars 10 has been revealed. Kudos to those of you who stuck with last night's Bachelor finale until the last 15 minutes of the show, when Tom Bergeron and Melissa Rycroft finally announced the names of the celebrity cast members. Here's the list:

Buzz Aldrin & Ashly Delgrosso

Pamela Anderson & Damien Whitewood

Erin Andrews & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Shannen Doherty & Mark Ballas

Kate Gosselin & Tony Dovolani

Evan Lysacek & Anna Trebunskaya

Niecy Nash & Louis Van Amstel

Chad Ochocinco & Cheryl Burke

Jake Pavelka & Chelsie Hightower

Nicole Scherzinger & Derek Hough

Aiden Turner & Edyta Sliwinska

Overall, this is one of the strongest casts DwtS has had in years, at least in terms of name recognition. Aiden Turner is the least recognizable celeb, but he's a young, hunky English soap actor: red meat for the older, female DwtS demographic.

The two most cynical castings are Kate Gosselin and Jake Pavelka. Bachelor Jake is blatant ABC cross-promotion. Kate is currently one of the most reliable headline generators. From her perspective, DwtS is a much safer bet than trying to launch her own talk show or product line. Plus, it gives producers a chance to see her when she's not swamped by toddlers.

This is Evan Lysacek's trophy to lose, right? Olympians usually do well on DwtS -- figure skaters and gymnasts in particular -- and he won a freaking gold medal in figure skating two weeks ago! I'm not sure about Anna's freestyle choreography skills, thought, and that's the routine that ultimately decides the winner. If he was paired with Cheryl or Chelsie, I'd say victory was an absolute lock. But Evan's got enough relevant experience to make his input valuable.

As for the rest of the field, the three "sexy" couples -- Aiden & Edyta, Nicole & Derek and Erin & Maks -- could put up a fight. Then there are the wild cards like Jake & Chelsie, Ochocinco & Cheryl and Shannen & Mark who could be surprisingly entertaining.

I'm going to take Kate out of the running because she's paired with Tony, the pro partner equivalent of mirrorball kryptonite. Buzz is out because he's 80 (welcome back, Ashly!). Pam's out because she's with the new guy, Damien. And Niecy's out because she's a comedian, the profession that fares worst on DwtS. Still, I'm glad they included a funny woman this season, and I hope she sticks around a while.

Here's part one of Kate Gosselin's appearance on last night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live:

What do you think of the new cast?

Ox Notes: February 25, 2010

2010-02-25T09:55:00.012-06:00

Am I the only one surprised by the relative dearth of information about the Dancing with the Stars 10 cast? There have only been a handful of rumors, even though the announcement in only a few days away. Usually celebs are falling all over themselves to spill the beans.

One rumor that seems to be gaining traction regards Kate Gosselin. It makes sense for her to appear on DwtS because 1) she's co-hosted The View and has an existing relationship with ABC, and 2) she's not doing anything else (besides parenting eight kids, of course).

EW notes that gold medalist Evan Lysacek has expressed a desire to compete on DwtS, but I doubt it will be this season. After all, he needs to keep his schedule free for Evan Lysacek Day in Naperville.

By the way, kudos to Evgeni Plushenko for awarding himself the platinum medal after finishing second to Lysacek. I'm going to start campaigning for Naperville to hold a Evgeni Plushenko Day, too.

NBC reports that 174 million people have watched the Winter Olympics during its first 12 days.

Apparently, Melissa Rycroft hasn't secured the DwtS co-host gig after all, despite revealing the contestants during this Monday's Bachelor finale. Mel B did a screen-test for the job yesterday.

I'm setting my DVR now for Kathy Griffin's guest spot on Law & Order: SVU this coming Wednesday.

I'm also setting my DVR for Johnny Depp's appearance on 48 Hours Mystery on Saturday. Depp will speak on behalf of the "West Memphis Three", three men convicted of murder when they were teenagers despite an abundance of evidence pointing to their innocence.

On March 15, HGTV debuts the show Home Rules about a life coach who helps struggling families. Thus continues HGTV's slow metamorphosis from informative how-to channel into a family freak show network like TLC. I assume that series on room makeovers for child beauty queens and women who didn't know they were pregnant are already in development.

Cast your vote in E!'s March Madness-style bracket poll of TV's Top Couples. Riker & Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation for the win!

Ox Notes: February 23, 2010

2010-02-23T10:19:00.017-06:00

With less than one week until the cast of Dancing with the Stars 10 is announced, details about the new season emerge. Pro dancers Lacey Schwimmer and Jonathan Roberts announced via Twitter that they won't participate this season. Pure DwtS posted a summary of which twelve pros seem likely to compete in DwtS 10.

Pure DwtS also noted that the new cast members will be announced during Monday, March 1's Bachelor finale by Tom Bergeron and Melissa Rycroft. Does that mean Melissa's officially the new co-host?

DwtS pro Derek Hough got himself involved in the ongoing drama between British singer Cheryl Cole and her allegedly philandering husband, footballer Ashley Cole.

I'm loving Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, especially since I'm rooting for the Villains. People and EW interviewed the latest booted cast member, Stephenie LaGrossa. EW, as always, features great episode recaps and Jeff Probst's blog.

One thing I'm not loving is NBC's Olympic coverage. Besides the universally despised tape delay the network insists on using, even in the DVR era, I'm most disappointed in the network's Web coverage of events.

The event I've been most looking forward to -- the men's 4x10k cross-country relay -- takes place tomorrow at 1:15 CST, and it's not airing on any network. U.S. men's hockey, which normally airs on USA or MSNBC, is the Wednesday afternoon feature on NBC. Instead of airing the cross-country relay in the open timeslot, USA is airing a marathon of NCIS reruns.

Here's the really dumb thing. NBC's Olympic website is only streaming curling and hockey live, two events that already get live coverage on the main network or on cable. Why not use the website to broadcast events that won't be aired on TV? I'd even be willing to pay a small amount ($.99, a la iTunes) to watch a live stream of some of the cross-country relay.

Instead of making money off of me and other fans of sports in which the U.S. isn't competitive, either directly or via ad exposure, NBC forces fans to seek out international live streams on the Internet (bring on the Tim Horton's ads, Canadian Olympic coverage!).

NBC's Olympic broadcast contract runs out after 2012. I'm hopeful that a new network will embrace current technology and profit from making the Olympics more accessible to viewers.

Ox Notes: February 11, 2010

2010-02-11T09:47:00.013-06:00

The two-hour premiere of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains begins tonight at 8 ET on CBS. Reality Blurred and TV Guide interviewed the participants, and EW posted behind-the-scenes video shot on location.

A new name has surfaced in the race to fill Samantha Harris' empty co-host spot on Dancing with the Stars: E! News correspondent Ashlan Gorse. I haven't seen her in action, but she's cute and she won't upstage Tom Bergeron, so she might be the right choice.

Deadliest Catch captain Phil Harris died on Tuesday after suffering a stroke on January 29. He was 53. The show's sixth season finished filming last month, and Capt. Phil will feature in the new season when it begins in April.

Top Chef Masters announced the participants for Season 2, which debuts April 7 on Bravo. I'm pulling for Chicago's Rick Tramonto.

Lost's Daniel Dae Kim and Three Rivers' Alex O'Loughlin will star in the upcoming remake of Hawaii Five-0. Can the handsome Aussie complete the trifecta, starring in three failed CBS dramas in a row?

You're going to want to bookmark this list of Hollywood character actors, complete with photos. Every time you watch a movie or TV show and are inspired to shout, "Hey! It's That Guy," you'll be able to look up his name.

My favorite That Guy is Clancy Brown, the man responsible for my most beloved film scene of all time (don't ask me why, 'cause I'm not sure):

Ox Notes: February 9, 2010

2010-02-09T10:36:00.011-06:00

Two bits of unsettling Dancing with the Stars news. First, DwtS pros Cheryl Burke, Anna Trebunskaya, Chelsie Hightower and Edyta Sliwinska posed in bikinis alongside some of their former celebrity partners for the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. There's something creepy about these videos from the photo shoot, where the bikini-clad women pose suggestively with their partners -- who are clad in regular clothes -- while a fan blows on them.

I'm also disturbed by the rumored final two candidates to take over Samantha Harris' co-hosting duties: Nancy O'Dell and Marie Osmond. Nancy O'Dell is a fine choice, with years of hosting experience and the right amount of empathy for the contestants.

Marie Osmond, however, strikes me as a terrible choice. While she appeals to DwtS' average audience member -- a woman in her mid-fifties -- that's not the demographic advertisers are most interested in. Following DwtS, Marie pursued hosting her own daytime talk show, which makes me wonder if she'd be willing to cede the spotlight to the contestants and to the real star of the show, Tom Bergeron.

Karina Smirnoff's dream dance partner is John Stamos.

Following the Super Bowl, CBS's Undercover Boss scored the largest audience ever for a reality show premiere: 38.6 million viewers. If its second episode, which follows the debut of The Amazing Race on Sunday, garners even 30% of that number, I'll be impressed.

Speaking of TAR, TV Guide interviewed contestants and Big Brother vets Jeff & Jordan.

Survivor fans can breathe a sigh of relief: Jeff Probst has agreed to host Season 21 & 22. People and EW have the scoop.

Ox Notes: February 4, 2010

2010-02-04T09:33:00.011-06:00

Pamela Anderson has reportedly signed on for Dancing with the Stars 10. I wonder what kind of dance style best suits the Baywatch theme song?

Melissa Rycroft has joined Entertainment Tonight as a special correspondent, effectively nixing her chances of filling Samantha Harris' shoes as DwtS co-host.

The retrospective Surviving Survivor airs tonight on CBS at 8 ET. Reality Blurred will live blog during the show. I'll be watching Vampire Diaries.

Starting February 18, my fellow PS3 owners and I can watch The Tester on the Playstation Network. The Hal Sparks-hosted competitive reality show puts gamers through a series of challenges as they compete for $5000 and a job as a professional game tester (which isn't as glamorous a gig as it sounds).

I'm getting excited for Sunday's "big game": Puppy Bowl VI on Animal Planet! Beginning at 3 p.m. ET, the show -- which features puppies playing on a miniature football field -- repeats every two hours until the wee hours of the morning. The official Puppy Bowl site is borked, but you can view the Starting Lineup here.

Zap2It interviewed the Puppy Bowl referee, Andrew Schechter.

If you don't intend to watch the actual Super Bowl but are still interested in the commercials, cable network Spike will post all of the commercials online at Spike.com almost immediately after they air on CBS. Thank you, Spike!

Ox Notes: February 2, 2010

2010-02-02T11:22:00.015-06:00

If you want to learn who's on Dancing with the Stars 10, you're going to have to sit through an episode of The Bachelor to do it. ABC will reveal the identities of the DwtS 10 cast members at intervals during the March 1 Bachelor finale. I think I'll skip the dating show and wait until the cast list is posted at the ABC's DwtS website.

The first believable DwtS 10 cast rumor comes courtesy of former MMA fighter and actor Jason Chambers. He's not a household name, but he's young and hunky, so I'll be surprised if he's not in the cast.

Olympic swimming champ Greg Louganis is campaigning for a spot on DwtS 10.

The first half of the Lost final season premiere -- which airs tonight on ABC at 9 ET -- is available online, but fans aren't watching it. They don't want to be spoiled.

Reality Blurred is posting preseason interviews with the Survivor 20 cast members.

In sad news, Phil Harris, captain of the Cornelia Marie on The Deadliest Catch, is in the hospital recovering from a stroke. Discovery promises to update fans on Phil's condition here.

If you're not sick of the Jay Leno-Conan O'Brien Tonight Show feud, check out this fascinating dissection of Jay's interview on Oprah last week. It's long, but it contains a lot evidence to indicate that Jay was being, um, less than truthful.

Masterpiece Classic aired the final episodes of Jane Austen's Emma on Sunday night. If you missed it, you can watch the mini-series online here. It's worth it.

I'm looking forward to Masterpiece Classic's March 28 feature, Sharpe's Challenge, because of its major WTF factor. The co-star playing opposite Sean Bean's Richard Sharpe is none other than Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi.

Ox Notes: January 28, 2010

2010-01-28T10:31:00.005-06:00

Tonight, Jeff Probst's new reality series, Live for the Moment, debuts on CBS in Survivor's 8 ET timeslot. It features real people who faced life-changing events that made them reevaluate their priorities. It sounds a bit like The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan's Discovery Channel show No Opportunity Wasted.

I'm skeptical that these kinds of TV shows and movies really have the power to change the daily lives of their viewers. While they feel good to watch, I don't think these programs have a lasting effect. After listening to their positive review of The Bucket List, I asked my in-laws if the movie inspired them to undertake any adventures of their own. They both shrugged and said, "No."

Roger Ebert explains in his terrific review of The Bucket List that, contrary to what we see on TV and in movies, brushes with death don't usually inspire us to seek adventure. They inspire us to seek comfort in the ones we love.

Turner Classic Movies starts its annual 31 Days of Oscar programming on Monday, February 1. This year's schedule is organized so that each successive film features one star from the previous movie. Zap2It notes that the TCM event begins and ends with films starring Kevin Bacon.

Maureen Ryan condensed her interviews with Lost creators Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse into a spoiler-free Q&A for fans. Cuse said that they won't be doing interviews after the season finale in order to avoid interpreting the ending for fans, citing the show's ambiguity as a strong point.

This worries me. The writers of Battlestar Galactica also refused to explain their ambiguous series finale, saying that fans could interpret the episode the way they wanted to. Bullshit!

The reality is that the various writers started a bunch of new plot threads during the last season of BSG that couldn't be logically connected in the finale, so they didn't even try. That is the height of laziness. I don't recall any of the tales collected by the Brothers Grimm containing any moral ambiguity or lacking a definitive conclusion.

Lost's story belongs to Lindelof and Cuse, and they need to own it. They've been drawing the threads back together since things went haywire in Season 2, so they've set themselves up to give fans a satisfying conclusion. Don't take the easy way out now, guys!

The CW is rebooting yet another series. This time it's USA's La Femme Nikita (1997-2001), which was based on the French movie by the same title, which also inspired the movie Point of No Return.

Given how poorly series about butt-kicking femme fatales have performed recently -- like The Bionic Woman and Dollhouse -- I'm not sure why The CW thinks a Nikita revival will work. I've got my own theory as to why it won't. Hopefully my brother, Dr. Lunch (not his real name), will let me know if my amateur sociology is on point or not.

I don't think women want to watch shows about butt-kicking females right now. The current economic climate demands a different kind of feminine toughness. Right now, being a tough woman means telling your kid that you can't afford the toy she wants, then enduring the ensuing tantrum. It means worrying about losing the job you have, finding the job you don't have or explaining to your teenager that there's no money for college. It means spending your vacation sleeping in a tent instead of a hotel bed.

Right now, I want the option to not be tough. I don't want to have to beat up bad guys and balance my budget. I want my devoted vampire boyfriend to take care of the bad guys for me.

Ox Notes: January 26, 2010

2010-01-26T10:15:00.008-06:00

The latest Paula Abdul-Dancing with the Stars rumor is that ABC offered her a development deal at the network contingent upon her participation in DwtS 10. Pure DwtS's Princess Heidi says of Paula: "She's tiny and she's a ringer. Which means, she'll dance with Mark Ballas."

People posted this news item: "Dancing's Cheryl Burke and Model Boyfriend Split." So long, model boyfriend. We hardly knew ye.

TV Guide Network will air a Survivor 20 preview special on February 11, hosted by Survivor Samoa winner Natalie White.

EW's Dalton Ross is preparing us for the new season with on-site interviews with Survivor 20 contestants, including a priceless interview with Coach. He has no chance to win, but, man, I want Coach to stick around as long as possible.

CBS revealed the cast of The Amazing Race 16 last week. Because young fit couples almost always win, my money's on either Brent & Caite, Dan & Jordan or Jordan & Jeff.

CBS renewed Survivor for two more seasons and The Amazing Race for one more, all of which will air during the 2010-2011 season. That would reduce the number of TAR seasons per broadcast season from the current two to one.

I'm cool with that. As much fondness as I have for TAR, it's not as exciting as it used to be. I watch it for the destinations and the challenges, not for the teams. Formulaic casting has lead to predictable results, making it a glorified travel show. I'd much rather have one good season each year than two mediocre seasons.

Ox Notes: January 19, 2010

2010-01-19T10:39:00.013-06:00

Here's a Dancing with the Stars 10 cast rumor that delights me almost as much as the one about Jonathan Frakes. Producers unsuccessfully pursued NFL player Chad Ochocinco for DwtS 9, but now that the Cincinnati Bengals are out of the playoffs, he's available. You have to love a guy who legally changed his name to the Spanish pronunciation of his jersey's numerals.

NBC is reportedly ready to pay Conan O'Brien nearly $40 million to leave the network. He wouldn't be allowed to host another show on a rival network until September, and NBC would retain the rights to many of O'Brien's signature bits. The fate of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is still up in the air.

Jay Leno addressed the situation on his show last night, and comedian Louis C.K. added his two cents as well.

Rob Thomas says the long hoped for Veronica Mars movie is dead in the water.

The identities of 21 of American Idol 9's Top 24 contestants have leaked online.

This Friday, January 22, eleven cable and broadcast networks will air a celebrity telethon to raise money for Haiti. The telethon, which starts at 8 p.m. ET, will push back the series finale of Fox's Dollhouse one week to January 29.

Yesterday's Oprah dealt with the dangers of texting and talking on the phone while driving. Visit Oprah's website to sign the pledge to end distracted driving and make your car a No Phone Zone.

Ox Notes: January 14, 2010

2010-01-12T10:22:00.015-06:00

Finally, we have a premiere date for Dancing with the Stars 10. The show debuts on Monday, March 22. Producers have promised a smaller cast than last season, which unfortunately means that some favorite pro dancers won't make the cut.

Also coming in March is a new series on TLC about addiction, aptly titled Addicted. This seems like a cynical bid to steal viewers from A&E's terrific show, Intervention. And I frankly don't trust the network responsible for I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant to handle the topic of addiction with the sensitivity it deserves.

Project Runway 7 debuts tonight on Lifetime at 10 ET. Last season was such a dud that I've given up on the show. Are you going to watch? If so, how high are your expectations for PR7?

Also on TV tonight, Jimmy Kimmel stops by The Jay Leno Show, two nights after impersonating Jay for an entire episode of his own show.

Tech writer Andy Ihnatko wrote a wonderful history of the events that led up to NBC's current Jay Leno-Conan O'Brien impasse. The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has some suggestions for what NBC should do following Conan's seemingly inevitable departure.

Ox Notes: January 7, 2010

2010-01-07T10:46:00.010-06:00

The cast of Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains was officially revealed last night. EW asked all of the competitors why they think they'll win and got Jeff Probst's assessment of their chances.

There are some questions about how the cast of veterans was assembled. Reality Blurred wondered why nine of the contestants were brought back for a third time. EW's Dalton Ross isn't sure how Candice Woodcock and Danielle DiLorenzo made the cut. And Tocantins vet Stephen Fishbach is confused by the way producers divided the teams.

Stephen also noted in his blog post that he's dating Courtney Yates. What an excellent couple!

Pure DwtS posted a second round of stars once rumored to be cast on Dancing with the Stars that may yet pan out for Season 10. Paula Abdul is free, after all.

DwtS 10 doesn't have a cast yet, but you can already start betting on the pro dancers' chances of victory. Corky Ballas has the longest odds of the 21 dancers you can put money on, though his chances are still better than Andrea Hale's.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy ends his Broadway run in Burn the Floor tonight. He'll be replaced starting Friday night by Derek Hough.

David Hasselhoff is leaving America's Got Talent. The gang at The Soup must be devastated.

Ox Notes: January 5, 2010

2010-01-05T10:15:00.013-06:00

Let's start the new year with some Dancing with the Stars 10 rumors. Pure DwtS has a round up of all of the celebrities associated with the upcoming season, however tenuously. I'm most excited by the prospect of Jonathan Frakes -- best known as Commander Will Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation -- joining the cast.

Donald Trump bashed the quality of past DwtS casts while promoting the cast of the new season of Celebrity Apprentice, which includes two folks who had shows on VH1 and Rod Blagojevich.

CBS is debuting the first few minutes of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains during Wednesday night's broadcast of the People's Choice Awards.

I'm going to have to watch the Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 23 to see Sandra Bullock present a Life Achievement Award to Betty White.

Zap2It has a photo gallery of January premiere and return dates. The Watcher's winter TV preview is in a more readable list format.

As a promo for the final season of Lost, the cast posed for a cool photo that recreates da Vinci's "Last Supper." I'm a fan of this, as proven by the poster of the Battlestar Galactica version of "The Last Supper" hanging on the wall behind my desk.

Chef Ina Garten turned down Jennifer Garner's request to appear on Barefoot Contessa because the actress isn't a "real friend." Don't worry, Jen. I'm sure Giada would let you appear on Everyday Italian.

Some celebrities make as much at $10,000 per Tweet for mentioning products in their Twitter feeds. Wait, you can make money on Twitter?! Good think I just started posting at @kathyfgibson. Now all I have to do is become a celebrity.

Ox Notes: December 22, 2009

2009-12-22T11:05:00.014-06:00

Survivor: Samoa ended its entertaining season on Sunday night with a disappointing finale, as jury members cast petty votes against the man they felt had wronged them and instead choosing the more palatable option between his two opponents.

It's not that Natalie played a bad game; she made the moves that were most likely to get her to the end. But, compared to Russell, she might as well have been camping next to the Survivor set and stumbled into the game by accident.

As far as the audience knows, Natalie never once considered voting for Russell, despite knowing exactly how manipulative and untrustworthy he was. (Mick and Jaison are also guilty of the same blind faith and lack of initiative.) Russell, on the other hand, played the game from the second it started.

EW's Dalton Ross subtitled his finale recap "The worst jury vote ever". Jeff Probst, despite being kind to Natalie during the reunion show, made it clear in his blog that he felt Russell should have won.

Ratings for the Survivor: Samoa finale were up over those for the Survivor: Gabon finale.

Now, on to the interviews. Winner Natalie White spoke with EW, People, TV Guide and Reality TV World. Reality Blurred combined its interviews with Natalie and Russell into one article.

Russell Hantz spoke about his defeat with EW, People and Reality TV World.

If that's not enough, Reality TV World interviewed Mick Trimming and Jaison Robinson, while Reality Blurred interviewed Mick, Jaison and Brett Clouser. Last Thursday's victim of the vote, Shannon "Shambo" Waters, chatted with EW, Reality TV World and People.

CBS has video of Shambo, Jaison and Brett during their brief time at Ponderosa.

Next up is Survivor 20: Heroes vs. Villains, which debuts on February 11. While CBS hasn't announced the official cast of returning contestants, Survivor Sucks has a list of likely cast members that I'd be willing to bet on. The list contains the only name I need to see to make me excited for the new season: Coach.

Ox Notes will return on January 5, 2010. Happy Holidays!

Ox Notes: December 17, 2009

2009-12-17T10:04:00.012-06:00

The first fall edition of So You Think You Can Dance concluded last night, and Us interviewed the winner.

Top Chef Las Vegas bid farewell for good with last night's lame reunion show. The only good part of the reunion was this blooper footage.

Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations were announced today. Zap2It produced its own list of 2009's underrated TV stars.

EW's Dalton Ross ranks Survivor: Samoa -- which ends on Sunday night -- high on his list of best Survivor seasons.

If you're in the mood to cry, watch this episode of Survivor: Africa winner Ethan Zohn's People video blog in which he calls his mom to tell her that his cancer is in remission. Yay, Ethan!

EW has a guide to TV return and premiere dates in early 2010. New episodes of TLC's What Not To Wear start on January 8, while HBO set a March 14 premiere date for the mini-series The Pacific, made by the same crew behind the excellent Band of Brothers.

Zap2It posted a list of holiday programming leading up to Christmas, as well as a preview of Christmas day's televised NBA games.

Pure DwtS created a Christmas wish list for Dancing with the Stars. Top of the list: "Replace Samantha."

Ox Notes: December 10, 2009

2009-12-15T10:15:00.013-06:00

Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning. I haven't seen any of the ten TV series nominated for awards this year, apart from one episode of House. I did, however, watch every episode of Rock of Love Bus.

The Watcher compiled her list of the Top TV Shows of 2009. Again, no Rock of Love Bus.

NBC gave Parenthood a March 1 premiere date, right after the network's Olympic coverage ends. Variety warns everyone to be on the lookout for show star Lauren Graham ringside at the figure skating for a little cross promotion.

People offers three reasons to watch The Vampire Diaries, which is airing as a five-night marathon on The CW this week.

TV Guide wants to know who you want to win this season of So You Think You Can Dance, which concludes on Wednesday night.

While on hiatus from Dancing with the Stars, two-time champ Julianne Hough created a fitness DVD called Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom.

Survivor: Samoa's double eliminees, Dave and Monica, are making the interview rounds this week. Both chatted with EW's Dalton Ross and Survivor: Amazon champ Jenna Morasca for Survivor Talk, where Dave got peevish when asked about his mistakes in the game.

He was back to his funny self in interviews with Reality Blurred and People, to whom he said, regarding Shambo's psychic visions: "A lot of ladies have dreams about Danger Dave Ball." Check out the Ponderosa video "Dave Part 2" to see Danger Dave bust out some funky dance moves.

Monica also spoke with Reality Blurred, and, as always, Jeff Probst blogged about the latest episode for EW.

Ox Notes: December 10, 2009

2009-12-10T11:06:00.016-06:00

Could this be the most absurd reality show yet? On January 4, ABC debuts the special Conveyor Belt of Love in which women chose their prospective beaus off of a moving conveyor belt. Reality Blurred proposes follow-up specials like "The Lazy Susan of Love" and "The Dry Cleaner Rack of Love."

With Survivor: Samoa winding down, EW posted odds on the remaining contestants' chances of winning. I agree that Natalie's probably the fave to win, at this point.

You've got until Friday to visit the charity auction site Clothes Off Our Backs and bid on tickets to the Dancing with the Stars 10 season premiere or a private dance lesson with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. The site is also auctioning off autographed holiday items.

I'm bummed that tonight's new episode of Soundstage -- a Michael McDonald Christmas special -- isn't airing on any of the PBS stations in the Chicago region.

The Amazing Race's third place finishers, Brian & Ericka, gave interviews to People and Reality TV World.

TV Guide interviewed Top Chef Las Vegas fourth place finisher, Jennifer Carroll.

Now, on to last night's Top Chef finale. (Caution: spoilers ahead)

I thought that the editing was dishonest. Until Padma said that Michael was the winner, I was 100% positive that Bryan had won. Even Tom Colicchio wrote in his blog: "Based on how the episode was cut, it had me wondering up until the end whether my memory had failed me or not."

I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that Michael had been edited as a kind of villain all season, and no one likes to see the villain win. In a TV Guide poll taken before the finale aired, only 12% of respondents felt that Michael should win.

As a result of the way the finale was edited, Michael's victory didn't seem justified. Tom and his fellow judges, Gail Simmons and Toby Young, explained the outcome in their blogs, but only a small portion of the viewing audience reads the blogs. Everyone else is left to wonder why Bryan lost after he seemingly won two of the four rounds last night (Chef's Choice and Dessert).

I am glad that the editors included Toby's comment that Kevin may be the real star of the season. If anyone can inspire a cult following, it's Kevin, Patron Saint of Pork. He and some of his fellow castmates spent last weekend dining at his restaurant, Woodfire Grill, as part of their culinary tour of Atlanta.

Bravo's website has interviews with all of the finalists, including a Q&A with the winner and a depressing morning-after video interview with Kevin. Bryan was his usual animated self in his video, while Michael was understandably pleased in his.

Ox Notes: December 8, 2009

2009-12-08T09:51:00.013-06:00

The Amazing Race ended on Sunday night with a seemingly inevitable win by Meghan & Cheyne. The winners chatted with E! and People, who also interviewed bickering brothers Sam & Dan. Reality Blurred summarized several other interviews with the TAR finalists.

After this lackluster season -- in which the most amusing part of the finale was a network PSA promoting Pap Smears as Christmas gifts -- I'm demoting TAR to DVR-only status. It's a glorified travel show at this point due to formulaic casting, and I no longer feel compelled to watch it live.

Dancing with the Stars pro Derek Hough dropped by the sets of British reality shows Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor.

Andrew McCarthy, star of '80s comedy classics like Mannequin and Weekend at Bernie's, will direct an upcoming episode of Gossip Girl.

On March 21, VH1 debuts its new series, Basketball Wives, which follows the exploits of Jermaine O'Neal's, Antoine Walker's and Eric Williams' significant others.

In January, ESPN picks up the show Sport Science, which explores technological developments in sports. In this clip from the show's Fox Sports Net days, golfer Padraig Harrington tests whether a Happy Gilmore swing really works:

Ox Notes: November 25, 2009

2009-11-25T13:26:00.011-06:00

Dancing with the Stars 9 is over. Congratulations to Donny Osmond & Kym Johnson, whose victory seemed almost inevitable. Was any winner ever more predictable from the start of the season? Kristi Yamaguchi in Season 6, perhaps?

Access Hollywood, The Insider and ET had cameras backstage after last night's Finale. Kelly Osbourne told Us that she never expected to win.

E! has clips of the contestants partying after the show. Many of the participants are still Twittering about the show today.

The DwtS 9 Finale won last night's ratings war with an audience of 19.2 million people. Donny Osmond's victory, however, was seen by several million people fewer than watched Marie Osmond finish in third place in Season 5.

In other DwtS news, the 1500 complaints ABC received about Adam Lambert's performance at the American Music Awards on Sunday night is less than the number of complaints the network receives about a typical DwtS episode.

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba told People that she has back surgery in her future.

My Ox Is Broken will return on Tuesday, December 8 with a new edition of Ox Notes.

Ox Notes: November 24, 2009

2009-11-24T10:36:00.013-06:00

Access Hollywood, ET and The Insider all had cameras backstage after the Dancing with the Stars 9 Final Performance Show. Kelly Osbourne told Us that she doesn't think that she and Louis van Amstel will win. She also told OK! that she's going to wait on having foot surgery.

Pure DwtS has a cool list of Twitter posts by DwtS cast members that is constantly updating. Looks like everyone woke up early today for Finale rehearsals.

EW's Ken Tucker was grossed out by last night's premiere of Find My Family, which he describes as "a kind of benign blackmail."

Catching up on Survivor, here are links to Jeff Probst's blog post about the most recent episode and the latest Ponderosa videos (all five of them).

ABC has halted production temporarily on Flash Forward so that the show can improve its writing.

The four-episode run of V wraps up tonight on ABC. I've found the first three episodes entertaining, but not great. Here's hoping that annoying teens Tyler and Lisa mysteriously disappear before the series returns in the spring.

Last week's Project Runway 6 finale was down in viewers from the PR5 finale on Bravo, probably because the season was boring. MSN recounted the many ways in which PR6 fell short. It turned me off enough that I'm skipping Season 7, which debuts on Lifetime on January 14.

I was also disappointed in the final episode of Supernatural for 2009. The show takes itself too seriously, and trapping the brothers in an endless struggle for their dead dad's approval has stunted their development. The Watcher still loves the show, but I'm done with it.

The Watcher has a handy list of winter premiere and return dates for a number of shows.

There's only one new show this season that I can heartily recommend: The Vampire Diaries. It won't change your life, but it will entertain and surprise you. It's not sentimental about its characters and will dispatch with just about anyone so long as it furthers the plot. In that regard, it shares the same quality that I love about George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series (a comparison I never thought I'd make).

The CW will rerun the first ten episodes of The Vampire Diaries during the week of December 14-18. Since it's a slow period for TV, I encourage you to give the show a chance if you haven't seen it yet.

Ox Notes: November 19, 2009

2009-11-19T11:38:00.013-06:00

Even though it hasn't been officially renewed beyond Season 20, Survivor is casting for Seasons 21 and 22. Given how entertaining Season 19 has been -- thanks to evil genius Russell -- I hope Jeff Probst decides to stick around for a few more seasons.

Pure DwtS has a roundup of Dancing with the Stars 9 Semi-Final media coverage.

Last night's episode of Top Chef: Las Vegas produced a great blog post by Tom Colicchio, who explained the history of the Bocuse d'Or as well as the rationale behind their selection of the winning chef. Gail Simmons blogged about being nervous dining in the presence of Bocuse d'Or USA Foundation board members.

NBC is moving the 2010 Emmys up to August 29 so as not to disrupt the network's Sunday Night Football schedule.

The Mad Men suits on sale at Brooks Brothers are helping to bring much-deserved attention to Hollywood costume designers.

In other industry news, women and minorities are still underrepresented among TV writers.

Whoops. Looks like I missed last weekend's Supernatural convention in Chicago.

The Chicago Tribune's TV critic, Maureen Ryan, explained how she decides when to give up on a show. She lasted longer with Flash Forward than I did.

Ox Notes: November 17, 2009

2009-11-17T13:34:00.010-06:00

Cameras from ET and Access Hollywood caught up with the couples after last night's Dancing with the Stars 9 Semi-Final Performance Show. People filed a What You Didn't See report from the set.

Kelly Osbourne tells OK! that she's due for foot surgery after the season ends.

Whitney Houston will perform during the DwtS 9 Finale next week.

In other DwtS news, Season 9 competitor Aaron Carter owes the federal government over $1 million in back taxes. Two-time DwtS champ Julianne Hough definitely won't be back next season.

MSN and People interviewed Gary & Matt, the latest team eliminated from The Amazing Race.

People also interviewed Survivor: Samoa's Kelly, who appeared on EW's Survivor Talk with guest host Courtney Yates. EW has Jeff Probst's latest blog post as well.

In sad news, comedian Ken Ober died unexpectedly over the weekend. Ober hosted Remote Control back in MTV's early days, the game show that helped launch the careers of comics like Adam Sandler and Colin Quinn.

Ox Notes: November 12, 2009

2009-11-12T10:36:00.016-06:00

Even though Let's Dance was pulled from ABC's November schedule -- and replaced with Find My Family -- the celebrity dance-off may not be dead. Cast member Kathy Najimy tweeted that the show will debut in January.

Two shows that are definitely dead: Dollhouse and Hank.

NBC announced their holiday programming plans, including the a cappella competition The Sing-Off.

FOX is working with producer Mark Burnett to develop a competition show for child prodigies called Our Little Genius. Just what neurotic kids with perfectionist tendencies need: the chance to lose thousands of dollars for their families on national television.

Author Ray Bradbury is developing a TV mini-series based on his short stories. Yay!

Dancing with the Stars lovebirds Julianne Hough & Chuck Wicks may or may not have broken up.

People filed a What You Didn't See report from the set of Tuesday's DwtS 9 Results Show.

Nigel Lythgoe told People he was "totally disappointed" in the quality of the solos on last night's So You Think You Can Dance results show.

Top Chef judges Tom Colicchio and Toby Young blogged about last night's Las Vegas hotel challenge.

The first half of Project Runway's two-part season finale airs tonight on Lifetime at 10 ET. Designers Christopher Straub and Gordana Gehlhausen talked to TV Guide about just missing a trip to Bryant Park.

Ox Notes: November 10, 2009

2009-11-10T11:14:00.012-06:00

Despite getting an official premiere date from the network, ABC has canceled Let's Dance because the show couldn't find enough celebrities willing to participate.

Access Hollywood and ET had cameras backstage after last night's Dancing with the Stars 9 Performance Show. OK! magazine was also on set to talk with Kelly Osbourne about the weight she's lost during her run on the show and with Aaron Carter about the song he wrote for Karina Smirnoff.

Each 30-second commercial during last night's DwtS Performance Show cost advertisers $178,687.

Kathy Ireland is rehearsing for a DwtS 9 finale performance in spite of her pending knee surgery.

Is it a bad sign that I forgot that a new episode of V airs tonight until I saw this TV Guide interview with Morena Baccarin?

Survivor: Samoa's Erik spoke with EW and People about becoming the season's first jury member (that means Ponderosa videos!). Jeff Probst blogged about the latest episode as well.

We're little more than a week away from James Franco's General Hospital debut. Are you getting excited? NYMag spoke with Franco, while The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog caught up with GH executive producer Jill Farren Phelps.

Ox Notes: November 5, 2009

2009-11-05T10:36:00.016-06:00

Pure DwtS has a roundup of media coverage of this week's Dancing with the Stars 9 double elimination. I can't believe there are only three weeks left.

Iron Chef America's connection with DwtS won't end with Chairman Mark Dacascos' departure from the ballroom. A January episode of the cooking competition features an appearance by First Lady Michelle Obama and will be judged by DwtS vets Jane Seymour and Natalie Coughlin.

DwtS pro Cheryl Burke is reportedly headed to Broadway, where she will appear as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago.

ABC will keep on dancing after DwtS ends, filling its timeslot with the comedic celebrity dance show Let's Dance. The new series, hosted by Kathy Griffin, debuts on Monday, November 23 after DwtS 9's final Performance Show.

Keeping with the ABC theme, I liked the network's reboot of V on Tuesday night (though I can't compare it to the original -- too scary for me when I was a kid). It won the night in demos. The Watcher gave her take on the first episode and her hopes for the series.

Speaking of scary things, I fear getting sucked in to Broke and Famous on VH1 tonight at 10 ET. The show follows Willie Aames for seven days as he tries to get his life back in order.

Comedian Artie Lange turned down $200,000 to appear on Celebrity Rehab in part because he's not sure that it works. Also, he didn't want his mom to see the results if he failed.

Next time you're in New York City with $45 to spend, take the Top Chef walking tour.

Reality Blurred has a roundup of interviews with Tiffany & Maria, the duo booted from The Amazing Race last week. Had it been a non-elimination week, they would've been able to take a 24-hour penalty for not completing either Detour task.. But it wasn't, and they were sent home.

Time for me to get a jump on setting my DVR: James Franco's run on General Hospital starts November 20.

Ox Notes: October 29, 2009

2009-10-29T10:37:00.008-05:00

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

2009-10-28T10:32:00.010-05:00

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

2009-10-22T10:51:00.017-05:00

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

2009-10-20T10:50:00.010-05:00

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

2009-10-15T09:41:00.010-05:00

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

2009-10-13T10:05:00.012-05:00

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

2009-10-08T10:39:00.010-05:00

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

2009-10-07T11:11:00.011-05:00

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

2009-10-01T10:38:00.018-05:00

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:

Ox Notes: September 29, 2009

2009-09-29T10:40:00.009-05:00

Ox Notes is back from hiatus, so it's straight on to Dancing with the Stars 9 news. TV Guide recapped last night's Performance Show. Access Hollywood interviewed the contestants backstage and People filed a What You Didn't See report.

Lacey Schwimmer will continue to dance while undergoing treatment for injured hip flexor muscles. And Louie Vito vowed to TV Guide and in his People blog that he won't cut his hair to please Len Goodman.

The Amazing Race premiered on Sunday night. Both of the eliminated teams -- Eric & Lisa and Garrett & Jessica -- spoke with TV Guide.

If you wondered why Eric & Lisa aren't featured in the first Elimination Station video with Garrett & Jessica, it's because the yoga instructors skipped out on the show and went to India. I'd say I don't blame them since they were eliminated before the race even began, but they were so grating during their brief time on the show that I do blame them for bailing.

TLC is renaming their former ratings juggernaut Kate Plus 8. The latest episode was watched by only 1.7 million people.

The CW pulled the plug on The Beautiful Life after two episodes, making it Fall 2009's first canceled show.

Heidi Montag, Lo Bosworth and Audrina Patridge make $100,000 per episode of The Hills. Seriously.

Ox Notes: September 17, 2009

2009-09-17T10:22:00.017-05:00

Dancing with the Stars 9 has its first injuries to report. Kathy Ireland needed stitches after a surfing accident, and Tom DeLay has a pre-stress fracture in his foot that is limiting his rehearsal time.

ABC posted videos of the couples in rehearsal. The video titled "Don't Let Go!" showcases Mark Dacascos nearly launching Lacey Schwimmer during a move.

Stars Ashley Hamilton, Louie Vito and Melissa Joan Hart blogged about their progress so far.

DwtS will pay tribute to Patrick Swayze during the September 23 Results Show.

In DwtS-related news, married pros Alec Mazo & Edyta Sliwinska will take part in GSN's revival of The Newlywed Game. And the big dance number on Sunday night's Emmy Awards -- featuring Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Karina Smirnoff -- will be choreographed by So You Think You Can Dance's Tabitha & Napoleon.

SYTYCD promoted Adam Shankman to permanent judge.

Survivor: Samoa premieres tonight on CBS at 8 ET. Reality Blurred has pre-season interviews with all of the contestants, and People hired Survivor: Tocantins runner-up Stephen Fishbach to blog about the new season.

EW posted a gallery to help you remember where you've seen the actors of The CW's Vampire Diaries before. Everyone knows that the actor who plays evil brother Damon was Boone on Lost, but did you know that BFF Bonnie was one of the Fantanas?

The Watcher has a spoiler-filled interview with Supernatural creator Eric Kripke and actor Jim Beaver.

Tim Gunn told People about the gross way Ra'mon dyed his challenge-winning neoprene dress (hint: producers showed him dyeing it in the sink, but that wasn't the first vessel he used). Yuck!

I'm sad that my favorite contestant got booted from Top Chef Las Vegas last night, while he's most upset about being separated from his beloved Padma. Gail Simmons blogged about the challenge, and Tom Colicchio wrote a great explanation of the judging criteria.

If you've got a few minutes to kill, try this Reality TV Trivia game at MSN. Just be sure to turn down the volume on your speakers if you're at work.

I'll be on a road trip next week, so Ox Notes will return on Tuesday, October 6.

Ox Notes: September 15, 2009

2009-09-15T10:13:00.011-05:00

The Creative Arts Emmys were awarded over the weekend. A&E's Intervention won Outstanding Reality Show, while So You Think You Can Dance's Tyce Diorio picked up the award for Outstanding Choreography.

The first group of presenters announced for the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on Sunday, September 20 includes Gossip Girl stars Blake Lively and Leighton Meester.

If you watched the Gossip Girl season premiere last night, you probably noticed the Target commercials featuring a line of clothing inspired by the show, designed by Anna Sui. As of this morning, many of the items in the line have already sold out.

On the topic of TV-related clothing lines, have you seen the shoes Project Runway winner Christian Siriano designed for Payless? The designer told Us that Kate Gosselin is copying his hairstyle.

Vampire Diaries actress Kayla Ewell told EW that she and her co-stars weren't flashing motorists when they were arrested in Georgia last month.

In Dancing with the Stars news, TV Guide has an interview with Cheryl Burke, while People interviewed Mark Ballas.

The ACLU is trying to free Survivor winner Richard Hatch from jail.

ABC says that while Defying Gravity isn't canceled, the network isn't sure when the final five episodes of the season will air.

Variety's Brian Lowry writes that even though most tributes to Patrick Swayze will focus on his roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost, the actor's real legacy is Road House.

Ox Notes: September 10, 2009

2009-09-10T10:44:00.013-05:00

The big TV news of the moment is that Ellen DeGeneres is the new permanent judge on American Idol. I think Paula Abdul's decision to leave the show can now be officially classified as a bad career move.

In Dancing with the Stars news, pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Karina Smirnoff have called off their engagement. Given how producers hyped the couples' relationship leading up to last season, I wonder if they'll use the breakup as a plotline this season or just gloss over it. I'm hoping the latter.

DwtS 9 contestant Ashley Hamilton is writing a blog for People, in which he compares DwtS rehearsals to his high school prom: "I sit against the wall and hope that no one will ask me to dance."

Fox is turning the website Texts From Last Night into a TV show. Huh?

Big Brother has been picked up for a 12th season. I've yet to meet one of the 8.1 million people who watch the show.

Big Brother's Tuesday night ratings far outshone those for the debut of The CW's revamped Melrose Place, which was only watched by 2.3 million people. That doesn't bode well for the show given that the other networks haven't even rolled out their fall shows yet.

The CW should expect better ratings for tonight's Vampire Diaries series premiere, as well as the return of Supernatural.

CBS announced the teams competing on The Amazing Race 15, which will bring back challenges from past seasons.

Last night's episode of Top Chef Las Vegas was devastating for the two eliminated chefs. One thinks that appearing on the show could be a career killer, while the other is considering giving up cooking for a living.

Judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons blogged about the French-themed episode, as did several past competitors.

Ox Notes: September 8, 2009

2009-09-08T10:59:00.010-05:00

The Fall 2009 season informally kicks off tonight with the premieres of 90210 and Melrose Place on The CW. TV Guide wrote about the cast of Melrose 2.0, which The Watcher describes as "empty calories."

Another new fall show debuting this week is Season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance. FOX is going ahead with the premiere on Wednesday while the other networks broadcast President Obama's address to Congress on health insurance reform.

The SYTYCD 6 Top 20 dancers won't be revealed until October 21.

Due to the President's speech, ABC is moving Wipeout back to 9 ET, bumping Crash Course for the night.

Brian Lowry writes that Jay Leno's new primetime show has inadvertently made the comic an enemy of TV screenwriters.

In Dancing with the Stars news, Maksim Chmerkovskiy is having a great time with celebrity partner Debi Mazar, and Louie Vito is blogging about training with Chelsie Hightower for People.

Ox Notes: September 3, 2009

2009-09-03T13:55:00.006-05:00

Access Hollywood did a series of interviews with Dancing with the Stars 9 contestant Kelly Osbourne and, based on this one, I'm rooting for her to win.

ET has a photo gallery of the couples in rehearsal and an interview with Donny Osmond.

E! caught up with Derek Hough, who thinks 62-year-old Tom DeLay is this season's dark horse.

Pure DwtS is following the Season 9 cast on Twitter and posted collections of recent tweets and pics.

After last night's new episode of Top Chef Las Vegas, Bravo's website posted blog posts by Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and several former contestants.

Variety's Brian Lowry writes about the notion of "reality stars," about whom one former network exec quipped: "Just like all porn performers are 'porn stars'."

Speaking of dubious reality "stars," Project Runway's Tim Gunn bagged on Jon Gosselin for his ridiculous, oversized Ed Hardy shirts, describing them as emblematic of "the slobification of America."

No plans for Labor Day weekend? Plunk yourself in front of the TV for one of the many marathons available on cable. Thank goodness I don't get the channel ActionMax, or I'd be glued to their Saturday Jaws marathon.

Ox Notes: September 1, 2009

2009-09-01T14:29:00.010-05:00

Dancing with the Stars 9 contestant Michael Irvin's dance rehearsal schedule will have to accommodate his new duties as an NFL Network analyst.

Other DwtS 9 cast members in the news include Chuck Liddell, Mark Ballas and Tom DeLay. ET posted the official photos of the couples, and Macy Gray could not look more uncomfortable.

Normally, People waits to interview Project Runway contestants until after they've been kicked off the show, but Mitchell Hall is off to such a bad start that People's editors must have thought, Why wait?

Thursday's and Friday's respective reruns of Fringe and Glee on FOX will feature live, onscreen Twitter commentary by each show's cast and crew.

Variety writes about what happens to completed shows when they're pulled from the air due to tragic circumstances, as with VH1's Megan Wants a Millionaire. The fate of MTV's Gone Too Far, which starred DJ AM, remains undecided.

Reality Blurred is posting preseason interviews with all of the Survivor: Samoa castaways.

The same website also has a list of fall reality show premiere dates. TV Guide posted its recommendations for eight new scripted shows to watch this fall.

I'm not usually interested in medical dramas, but I might have to NBC's Mercy a shot now that Kate Mulgrew has joined the cast. She was Captain Janeway, for crying out loud:

Ox Notes: August 27, 2009

2009-08-27T10:18:00.007-05:00

CBS revealed the identities of the twenty cast members of Survivor: Samoa today. The network has started running promos for the new season as well.

Meanwhile, Survivor's original champ, Richard Hatch, is still locked up in jail after violating the terms of his house arrest.

Bravo has blog posts from Top Chef Las Vegas judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons about last night's new episode.

EW recently posted a Where Are They Now? gallery of past Top Chef contestants.

MTV plans to devote more of its airtime to original movies, including gems like My Super Psycho Sweet 16.

The Watcher interviewed Supernatural creator Eric Kripke about the show's fifth season.

TV Guide interviewed Dancing with the Stars 9 contestant Joanna Krupa, while USA Weekend chatted with Melissa Joan Hart.

The best DwtS 9 preview I've seen comes courtesy of the humor site Cracked. The post rechristens the show "Dancing with Some People" and says contestant Michael Irvin is: "Continuing the effort to turn the NFL Hall of Fame into the Embarrassing Dance School for Victims of Multiple Concussions."

Ox Notes: August 25, 2009

2009-08-25T10:28:00.008-05:00

The celebrity-pro dancer pairings for Dancing with the Stars 9 were formally announced yesterday. EW rated the couples' chances for victory, predicting Donny Osmond & Kym Johnson as the likely winners.

Mya talked with TV Guide about the first few days of rehearsals with her DwtS partner, Dmitry Chaplin.

Pure DwtS reports that the new dances being introduced this season are the Charleston, Bolero, Lambada and Two-Step. Seriously, the Lambada? I thought that was so 1990.

The Futon Critic posted trailers for the new seasons of Supernatural and Smallville.

Variety has an article about a company that helps indie artists get their music on TV shows.

HBO's adaptation of George R. R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" is getting a lot of publicity. The Chicago Tribune's The Watcher blog mentioned the latest casting news (here are photos of the new cast members), as well as some other useful sites for news about the pilot, including the blog Winter Is Coming. Be forewarned that Martin's personal blog is for fans of the book series and contains plot spoilers.

Ox Notes: August 20, 2009

2009-08-20T09:38:00.014-05:00

Lifetime is devoting tonight to Project Runway, starting with a two-hour All-Star Challenge at 8 ET featuring celebrity guest Nicole Kidman. The 10 ET premiere of Season 6 will be followed by a 30-minute episode of Models of the Runway at 11 ET.

The Futon Critic posted an interview with PR producer Sara Rea, and The Trib's Watcher interviewed Tim Gunn.

ABC is waiting until Monday to officially announce the Dancing with the Stars 9 contestants' professional partners, but nearly half of the pairings have already leaked:
Aaron Carter & Karina Smirnoff
Debi Mazar & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Tom DeLay & Cheryl Burke
Ashley Hamilton & Edyta Sliwinska
Donny Osmond & Kym Johnson
Natalie Coughlin & Alec Mazo
Mya & Dmitry Chaplin

Ashley Hamilton is shaping up to be this season's funniest contestant. He told TV Guide that he's working on his "Hamil-tan," and in a video he recorded with Edyta in a Wendy's parking lot, he joked, "I do love all our castmates; all 147 of them."

Hours after appearing on Today to talk about his stint in prison, Survivor champ Richard Hatch was sent back to jail for failing to get permission to film an interview with Access Hollywood.

Police are searching for Ryan Jenkins, a contestant on VH1s Megan Wants a Millionaire, in connection with a murder. The network has indefinitely postponed future airings of the show and may not air the already-filmed third season of I Love Money, on which Jenkins was also a contestant.

Jay Leno gave reporters the scoop on his new primetime show. He plans to save classic bits like "Jaywalking" and "Headlines" for the final 15 minutes of each episode.

If you've been meaning to catch up on Supernatural but are daunted by the prospect of watching four full seasons of the show, The Trib's Watcher compiled a list of 15 essential episodes to watch before Season 5 begins.

Ox Notes: August 18, 2009

2009-08-18T09:17:00.010-05:00

The new Dancing with the Stars 9 contestants are reacting to yesterday's big cast reveal. Donny Osmond and DwtS host Tom Bergeron talked to Samantha Harris for The Insider, and Aaron Carter spoke with Entertainment Tonight.

It may be a few days until we know which celebs and pros will be dancing together this season. On Ryan Seacrest's radio show, Kelly Osbourne said she won't meet her professional dance partner until Friday.

TV Guide posted a poll after the cast announcement, and Donny Osmond is the early favorite to win DwtS 9.

I was a little surprised that Paula Abdul wasn't a DwtS contestant this season, but, according to Reality Blurred, talks with ABC didn't go well and now Abdul won't appear on Ugly Betty as planned either. Her chances of returning to American Idol look slim after the show announced Shania Twain as the upcoming season's fourth guest judge.

DwtS pro Cheryl Burke told E! that having guest judges like on So You Think You Can Dance would make DwtS "more exciting," adding that she'd love to see Paula Abdul in that role on DwtS.

Kelly Choi, host of Top Chef Masters -- which wraps up Wednesday night at 10 ET on Bravo -- told OK! that her favorite healthy snack is carrots and Korean hot sauce.

The Torch Online posted a fall fantasy/sci-fi TV preview.

How exactly does one earn the title "extreme pet trainer"?

DwtS 9 Cast Revealed

2009-08-17T08:11:00.002-05:00

ABC announced the identities of the Dancing with the Stars 9 celebrity contestants this morning. They are:

Aaron Carter
Ashley Hamilton
Chuck Liddell
Debi Mazar
Joanna Krupa
Kathy Ireland
Kelly Osbourne
Louie Vito
Macy Gray
Mark Dacascos
Melissa Joan Hart
Michael Irvin
Mya
Natalie Coughlin
Tom DeLay

Looks like ABC is trying to one up NBC by casting Tom DeLay. NBC was only able to get the wife of a disgraced politician for I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. ABC got the actual disgraced politician!

I've at least heard of all but one of these celebs, so that's a better ratio than seasons past. Are you excited to watch the new season based on this cast? Is there an early favorite?

Ox Notes: August 13. 2009

2009-08-13T10:56:00.007-05:00

In an effort to prevent injuries, Dancing with the Stars producers instituted new rules to limit the amount of time Season 9 contestants spend in rehearsals. It's about time.

LaToya Jackson is the latest celebrity rumored to be joining the DwtS 9 cast.

It didn't take the Emmys long to scrap plans to pre-record several awards presentations and play edited versions of the acceptance speeches during the primetime broadcast.

Top Chef: Las Vegas debuts next week, inspiring EW to post a slideshow of the Best TV Shows for Foodies. Bravo announced the names of the companies sponsoring the new season, in addition to the ever-present "Glad Family of Products."

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi admitted to The New York Times that she "keeps two dress sizes on the set" in order to accommodate the 10-15 pounds she gains over the course of each season.

Speaking of wardrobe issues, actress Mayim Bialik wrote about addressing her religious views regarding modesty with the crew of What Not to Wear: "When the show aired, I saw that my qualifications and explanations did not survive the cutting room."

AMC is developing a TV show about surviving a zombie apocalypse. Woo hoo!

I've got less than 48 hours until the start of the English Premiere League football season; gotta go tweak my fantasy team. Here's where you can watch games on United States cable channels.

Ox Notes: August 11, 2009

2009-08-11T10:03:00.012-05:00

With less than a week until the cast of Dancing with the Stars 9 is revealed, show producer Conrad Green confirmed that the new cast will include 16 celebrities, with double eliminations occurring around mid-season. He said that Paula Abdul can have a spot in the cast if she wants it.

Green also mentioned that the new season will feature more athletes, including some from sports that haven't been represented on the show before. In my mind, that all but confirms that Jeremy Roenick, who retired from pro hockey last week, will be on the show. Looks like his fans want that, too.

*In related but totally unsubstantiated speculation, my husband believes that former soccer star and ESPN commentator Alexi Lalas will also join the DwtS 9 cast. Greg has no proof, he just wants to be on record in case he's right.*

DwtS pre-season rumors wouldn't be complete without perennial contestant-to-be Aaron Carter. And Tori Spelling's husband, Dean McDermott, is campaigning for a spot on Season 9.

Bachelor host Chris Harrison predicts that the show will be responsible for three weddings this year. Meanwhile, The Root wonders why there hasn't been a black Bachelor or Bachelorette yet.

The Futon Critic interviewed Regis Philbin about the return of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which debuted with just okay ratings on Sunday night.

In other game show news, Wayne Brady will host a daytime revival of Let's Make a Deal, debuting on CBS on October 5.

The Watcher reports that Paris Hilton will play a "demonic creature" on the upcoming season of Supernatural.

Gordon Ramsay's record for successful makeovers isn't good; 8 of 13 New York area restaurants featured on Kitchen Nightmares have since closed.

Lucky folks in Hollywood will get to see The Pee-wee Herman Show on stage starting November 8. I wonder if Laurence Fishburne will reprise his role as Cowboy Curtis?

Ox Notes: August 6, 2009

2009-08-06T10:53:00.010-05:00

The summer season of So You Think You Can Dance wraps up tonight on FOX at 8 ET. EW compiled a list of the 15 Greatest SYTYCD Routines, while show creator Nigel Lythgoe spoke about his desire to have Paula Abdul appear on the upcoming fall season.

SYTYCD vets Pasha Kovalev & Anya Garnis will join the Broadway cast of Burn the Floor on August 18.

In Dancing with the Stars alumnae news, Lisa Rinna is working on a novel, Marie Osmond's talk show has been canceled and Heather Mills got a Kate Gosselin haircut.

Chris Kattan is starring in a new mini-series called Bollywood Hero that premieres tonight on IFC. It sounds right up my alley.

To promote the new season of Project Runway, Tim Gunn will call your friends with a prerecorded, personalized message. I can't wait to prank my brother with this.

At the Movies is ditching Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz in favor of newspaper film critics A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips. Variety's Brian Lowry considers the move an admission by Disney that their attempt to "go younger" failed.

Survivor: Africa winner Ethan Zohn should become the celebrity spokesman for American health insurance reform. He told People that each of the six chemotherapy treatments he needs to treat his Stage 2 Hodgkin's Disease costs about $23,000. His insurance only pays 80% of the cost.

Variety highlighted some of the food shows nominated for Emmys.

In a lengthy but thought provoking New York Times article, author Michael Pollan explores how our increased interest in TV shows about food coincides with a decrease in the amount of time we spend cooking for ourselves, resulting in higher obesity levels. As if that wasn't bad enough, watching TV raises kids' blood pressure.

Ox Notes: August 4, 2009

2009-08-04T10:17:00.015-05:00

The Emmys are stirring up controversy with a decision to pre-record eight of the award presentations for writing, showing edited portions of those presentations during the live ceremony. Host Neil Patrick Harris defended the move, saying the editing will only remove things like the recipients walking to the podium.

The Writers Guild of America issued a letter of protest. The Chicago Tribune's TV critic Maureen Ryan isn't happy about the move either.

Emmy Awards producer Don Mischer says it's part of an effort to keep the ceremony relevant. TV's most popular shows are notoriously underrepresented in the nominations every year, giving people less incentive to tune in to ceremony.

Is the alternative keeping the award show format the same, but moving the broadcast from a major network to a cable channel? Since it seems like most of the nominations are for cable shows anyway, it might make sense.

The Television Critics Awards were handed out over the weekend. The only network show among the winners was The Big Bang Theory.

In Dancing with the Stars news, it sounds as if Lou Ferrigno is as close to a lock for Season 9 as you can get (or at least as close to a lock as Vera Wang is). Pro wrestler Kurt Angle is the latest celebrity to join the list of rumored contestants for the new season.

Good news, Futurama fans. The original voice cast has signed on for the new season.

The New York Times has an article about the long work days, sleep deprivation and booze reality show producers use to keep contestants on edge.

Taking the torture of reality show contestants one step further is E!'s new show, Reality Hell. Each week a new contestant will be tricked into believing he or she is on a new, legitimate reality show, kind of like Spike's Joe Schmo.

In non-TV news, go see the Bollywood movie Love Aaj Kal if it's playing at a theater near you. It's a great summer romance and a terrific introduction to Indian films if you've never seen one before.

Also, watch this Special Comment about health insurance reform from last night's episode of Countdown. It explains why the reforms the majority of Americans want are being held up in Congress (hint: it's about money):

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Ox Notes: July 30, 2009

2009-07-30T10:30:00.008-05:00

There's exciting stuff happening on TV this weekend. Saturday marks the start of TCM's month-long Summer Under the Stars. Each day in August will feature the films of a different actor, starting with Henry Fonda. The ad campaign for the event, featuring new posters for old movies, is getting some positive press.

Sunday, August 2, marks the return of Shark Week to Discovery.

Sunday's also the last day to bid on a package of tickets to see Dancing with the Stars' Samantha Harris perform in the musical Chicago.

In other DwtS news, judge Carrie Ann Inaba has been hired to host TV Guide Network's red carpet coverage alongside Bachelor host Chris Harrison.

Karina Smirnoff told People that she hopes Vera Wang participates in DwtS 9 so that she can beg the designer for a wedding dress.

When Who Wants to Be a Millionaire returns to primetime on August 9, it will feature an "Ask the Expert" lifeline. Among the celebrity "experts" available for help are Al Sharpton and Connie Chung.

Starting in October, ESPN will air an ambitious film project called "30 for 30", which will feature 30 short films about sports topics like BMX racing and Marion Jones' steroid use. Some of the filmmakers already attached to the project include director Peter Berg and my favorite Canadian point guard, Steve Nash.

Maureen Ryan, better known as The Chicago Tribune's The Watcher, wrote about a day in the life of a TV critic.

My brother will appreciate this Where Are They Now post about the cast of Night Court since I'm pretty sure he still carries a torch for Markie Post.

Ox Notes: July 28, 2009

2009-07-28T11:09:00.008-05:00

Reality Blurred has an interview with Deadliest Catch creator Thom Beers. Last night, Discovery featured a fascinating special about the producers who work aboard the crab boats, which was more or less a chronicle of greenhorn cameraman Josh Silberman's battle with seasickness. I have no idea how he was able to blog between his frequent bouts of vomiting.

Reality Blurred also reviews this season's new dating shows, More to Love and Dating in the Dark.

In case you missed last night's Bachelorette finale, ABC reorganized its schedule to give you a second chance to see it tonight.

FOX reorganized its fall schedule, giving the next season of So You Think You Can Dance a twelve-day head start on Dancing with the Stars 9.

Pure DwtS compiled a list of all of the credible Season 9 cast rumors thus far.

American Idol 8 made $50 million less in ad revenue than AI 7, but $850 million is still a pretty good haul.

Paramount is working on a feature film version of the book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Why bother when the 1982 animated version, The Secret of NIMH, is so good and features such a pretty theme song?

Ox Notes: July 23, 2009

2009-07-23T10:04:00.009-05:00

So You Think You Can Dance celebrates its 100th episode tonight. Variety has a bunch of articles about the show, including an update on what past winners are up to. Cat Deeley interviewed Katie Holmes about tonight's special tribute to Judy Garland.

MOIB reader Katy pointed out the rumor that Ashley Hamilton may compete in Dancing with the Stars 9. Ashley's best know as the son of DwtS 2 contestant George Hamilton, as well as the ex-husband of both Shannen Doherty and Angie Everhart.

In other DwtS news, Gilles Marini's new calendar belongs on the top shelf at the newsstand, wrapped in a foil cover. Don't click on the link if you're at work.

Variety has an article on the increasing number of Hollywood prop and costume auctions.

Before the sixth season of Project Runway debuts in late August, Lifetime will air a special All-Star Challenge featuring past competitors Santino Rice, Daniel Vosovich, Uli Herzner, Jeffrey Sebelia, Mychael Knight, Chris March, Sweet P and Korto Momolu.

Survivor's upcoming all-star season may feature some contestants for a third series appearance, including Rupert, Cirie, Stephenie and Jonny Fairplay.

Wipeout has been officially renewed for a third season. Sadly, I Survived a Japanese Game Show probably won't be back next summer.

As soon as Japanese Game Show's run ends this summer, its timeslot will be filled by another reality competition. Crash Course will feature couples doing stunts with cars. I'm not sure it will be as entertaining as watching people bob for frozen fish in a tub of ice water:

Ox Notes: July 21, 2009

2009-07-21T10:19:00.012-05:00

Tom Bergeron will reveal the identities of the Dancing with the Stars 9 cast members on Good Morning America on August 17. MOIB reader Deb noticed a rumor that DwtS 9 may feature 16 couples. I'm cool with the change if it means that couples won't start doing two dances per week so early in the season, but something tells me that won't happen.

Derek & Julianne Hough spoke with People about being nominated for an Emmy for their DwtS choreography. E! compiled a list of videos of the four So You Think You Can Dance routines nominated for choreography Emmys.

Reality Blurred has a list of all of the Emmy nominations earned by reality shows.

Paula Abdul may not judge American Idol next season.

What's the point of new episodes of Futurama without the original voice actors?

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi may get her own sitcom on NBC about "a woman working in the culinary world."

NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is set to take on other athletes in the series Shaq Vs. starting August 18 on ABC. The Big Aristotle will swim against Michael Phelps and play tennis against Serena Williams. This I've got to see.

ABC, CBS and NBC will broadcast President Obama's speech to the nation on Wednesday night at 8 ET. ABC will air new episodes of Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Game Show one hour later than their normal broadcast times.

I'm excited about casting news from the set of A Game of Thrones, the new HBO series based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series. Sean Bean was cast in a pivotal role, and several other roles have been filled as well. This series can't come to cable soon enough.

Ox Notes: July 16, 2009

2009-07-16T09:28:00.015-05:00

Emmy nominations were announced this morning, including a nod to the best host in the biz, Tom Bergeron.

In other Dancing with the Stars news, the show is being sued by a couple of disabled men after a cameraman threatened to run over their service dog at a show taping.

There's no DwtS Tour this summer, but you can catch "Shawn Johnson and Friends: An Evening of Music, Dance and Shawn" in Des Moines, Iowa on July 26. Gilles Marini, Cheryl Burke, Steve-O, Kristi Yamaguchi and The Ballas Hough Band are all scheduled to appear.

Fans of I Survived a Japanese Game Show can get the inside scoop on the show from Executive Producer Kent Weed at his MSN blog.

EW graded the outfits So You Think You Can Dance host Cat Deeley has worn this season.

Speaking of outfits, actress Mayim Bialik talked to Starpulse about what it was like to be made over on What Not to Wear.

British judge Toby Young promised to tone it down a bit for the sixth season of Top Chef.

Lifetime revealed the identities of the models appearing in the new season of Project Runway. The gals also get their own show this season, called Models of the Runway. It's about time someone showed the models some respect for putting up with those crazy PR contestants.

Harper's Island stars Elaine Cassidy and Christopher Gorham spoke with TV Guide about the series finale.

MSN featured a couple of interesting lists recently: TV's Best Shows About Showbiz and Best and Worst Travel Shows. Kudos to the "Travel Shows" author for saying of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives host Guy Fieri: "When the most interesting part of your personality is your spiky bleach-blond hair, it's time to relinquish your hosting duties."

Last week, MOIB reader Jen C and I couldn't stop commenting about how goofy we thought it was for The Sci-Fi Channel to change it's name to SyFy. Network exec Michael Engleman offered the silliest rationale for the name change to date: "The Y's feel like they're smiling at you."

Ox Notes: July 14, 2009

2009-07-14T10:38:00.011-05:00

I have to start by acknowledging the end of my beloved Harper's Island.

Okay, it wasn't the best show ever, but it delivered on its promise. It proposed to be a creepy serial killer mystery that wrapped up in exactly 13 episodes, without the typical the-killer-might-not-really-be-dead gimmick show creators use in the hope of getting a second season. The show did what it set out to do, and it was fun and occasionally touching along the way.

Zap2It recapped the final two episodes, making an apt comparison to the way The Lord of the Rings film series ended. EW posted some thoughts on the finale and confirmed that there is no chance the show will be back for a second season. Show producer Karim Zreik blogged about the finale for Television Without Pity.

TV Guide posted an interview with Harper's Island's Sully just before the finale aired. And if you're a real geek like me, check out these FearNet interviews with cast members conducted after their characters died. The producers kept the cast in the dark and didn't tell them until right before they were going to get killed off. Heck, John Wakefield's accomplice didn't even know he was one of the killers until they were halfway through filming.

Moving on.

Horrifying Dancing with the Stars news: Michael Flatley may take over Len Goodman's spot at the judges' table for Season 9. A cardboard cut-out of Len would have more interesting things to say than Flatley.

ET ambushed Julianne Hough in a drugstore to ask her about the Footloose remake.

Rumor is that Survivor 20 will feature heroes and villains from past seasons. Season 1 winner Richard Hatch was invited to participate, but a judge won't let him.

In other reunion news, Lifetime is gathering past Project Runway contestants together for an all-star competition.

Ryan Seacrest just signed a contract to host three more seasons of American Idol for $45 million.

Billy Mays commercials won't be going away any time soon. A new commercial the deceased pitchman shot for Mighty Tape debuts on July 20.

The latest Harry Potter movie releases tomorrow, so Daniel Radcliffe has been making the talk show rounds. EW thoughtfully complied a set of clips of his recent appearances to satisfy all of us older women with inappropriate crushes on the boy wizard.

Ox Notes: July 9, 2009

2009-07-09T11:21:00.007-05:00

I enjoyed last night's episode of Top Chef Masters, but I was less intrigued by the food than I was by the venue where they held the tasting: The Magic Castle in Los Angeles. I'd be bummed that I can't get in, but I don't own anything that meets the club's dress code anyway.

Bravo revealed the identities of the Top Chef Las Vegas contestants. The new season premieres on August 26.

Lifetime introduced the contestants for its first season of Project Runway, which starts August 20.

After only one episode, NBC booted the reality show The Great American Road Trip from Tuesdays to Monday nights at 8 ET, in favor of a rerun of America's Got Talent.

My beloved Harper's Island comes to a close this Saturday night with two back-to-back episodes starting at 9 ET on CBS. Voters in an EW poll overwhelmingly chose 9-year-old Madison as the character they'd most like to see get whacked before the end.

WFMU.org has a great video compilation of one-liners from '80s action movies, including clips from my dad's favorite movie to quote, Hard to Kill. The creation of the video was inspired by the writer's viewing of Commando. I watched it recently, too, and man, oh, man is that a good movie.

AMC will air Commando on July 21 and 22, so mark your calendar accordingly. Until then, here's a clip from the movie, featuring my brother's favorite character actor, David Patrick Kelly:

Ox Notes: July 7, 2009

2009-07-07T10:40:00.008-05:00

Cable channel Sci Fi officially changes its name to Syfy today. The Watcher has the scoop on the network's attempt to rebrand itself.

Cameramen on The Deadliest Catch have an innovative way of getting their footage to their editors: they put their recorded footage into a waterproof case and chuck it overboard.

Choreographer Mia Michaels told People that the performance Katie Holmes shot for the 100th episode of So You Think You Can Dance is "brilliant."

Kathy Griffin will emcee the roast of Joan Rivers on Comedy Central on August 9.

ABC has begun making its shows available on Hulu, starting with Grey's Anatomy.

MSN posted a slideshow of the best TV rich kids.

Throughout the summer, Zap2It will post new weekly polls seeking to find the greatest TV characters. This week's polls include Best Mom, Best Co-Worker and Best Reality Personality.

Finally, Lucha Libre is coming to TV in the United States. Not sure what Lucha Libre is? Check this out:

Ox Notes: July 2, 2009

2009-07-02T10:25:00.013-05:00

Former TV Hulk Lou Ferrigno is apparently in the running for a spot on Dancing with the Stars 9. Other DwtS 9 rumors so far include Vera Wang, Dominique Moceanu and Danny Gokey: not exactly the A-listers fans are hoping for.

DwtS alum Denise Richards makes her Bollywood debut this weekend in the film Kambakkht Ishq (the title translates to something like "Crazy Love"). The movie is set in Hollywood and features American actors Sylvester Stallone and Brandon Routh alongside Bollywood megastars Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor.

Zap2It recapped last night's new episodes of I Survived a Japanese Game Show and So You Think You Can Dance.

SYTYCD producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe finally confirmed that Katie Holmes will perform on the 100th episode of the show, scheduled to air July 23.

Starting tonight, ABC has yanked the remaining episodes of In the Motherhood from its lineup, filling the slot with a bonus episode of Samantha Who?.

ABC is also working on a mystery novel tie-in for the series Castle.

PBS's Antiques Roadshow made its first $1 million appraisal.

Ever wondered what actors are actually snorting when they do a line of cocaine in a TV show? It's usually powdered sugar, baking soda or baby laxative.

On July 21, Discovery will debut a new series reality series called The Colony. The premise is that ten people have to rebuild a functional society after a global catastrophe. I'm looking forward to it, given my fondness for all things post-apocalyptic. Heck, I even enjoyed the ridiculous Doomsday:

Ox Notes: June 30, 2009

2009-06-30T10:46:00.011-05:00

Dancing with the Stars judge Len Goodman recently had surgery for prostate cancer. He told The Daily Mail he feels "right as rain" and will take part in DwtS 9.

The latest DwtS 9 casting rumor involves Debi Mazar, an actress who's played bit parts in seemingly everything.

In other DwtS news, Melissa Rycroft is engaged to Tye Strickland, whom she did not meet on a TV show.

I know I've been singing the praises of the low-rated murder mystery Harper's Island all season long, but the show got really good on Saturday. The episode was exciting and the deaths were heart-breaking; I actually cried.

If you plan on checking out the show when it comes out on DVD on September 8, don't read this Zap2It recap, or EW writer Michael Slezak's post titled: Breaking: Harper's Island Made Me Feel Something!.

The CW is now using Sunday nights to burn off episodes of the canceled Valentine.

Reality Blurred has the scoop on new CBS reality show There Goes the Neighborhood, described as "Big Brother but with families living in their actual homes."

USA Today's Pop Candy blog features an interview with Parker Lewis Can't Lose star Corin Nemec.

I think I've said here before that, if you ever have the chance to see Neil Diamond in concert, you should do it. Soon, you'll be able to do it without leaving your house! On August 14, CBS will air a concert special called Neil Diamond -- Hot August Night: NYC. Too bad the accompanying DVD and CD will only be available at Wal-Mart.

Ox Notes: June 25, 2009

2009-06-25T10:09:00.009-05:00

Networks are suffering this summer, particularly ABC. Tuesday's premiere episode of The Superstars was watched by less than 5 million people. The supposedly funny new episode of Better Off Ted that followed didn't even get 2 million viewers.

I hope things are faring better for two of the only shows I make a point of watching during the summer, both of which happen to be on ABC on Wednesday nights: Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Game Show.

Also on TV last night were new episodes of So You Think You Can Dance and Top Chef Masters.

If you'll in the St. Petersburg, Florida area this weekend, stop by the Millennium Dancesport Championships to catch a glimpse of celebrity judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy in action.

CBS announced its fall schedule, including a two-hour premiere of The Amazing Race on Sunday, September 27.

Here's Melissa & Ade's Rumba from last night's SYTYCD:

Ox Notes: June 23, 2009

2009-06-23T10:47:00.008-05:00

Tonight, ABC unleashes its latest celebrity competition show, The Superstars, at 8 ET. One of the contestants, Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, spoke with TV Guide about being the celebrity in a celebrity-professional athlete pair for a change.

In other DwtS news, Julianne Hough is up for a lead role in the Footloose remake, provided she gets her acting skills up to speed.

Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane landed an acting role on ABC's new fall drama Flash Forward.

So You Think You Can Dance fans will want to check out host Cat Deeley's blog at EW.

Jessica Simpson will travel the world for VH1 in 2010 for a new series called The Price of Beauty. I admit that I'm intrigued by the show's premise: "Jessica will study the local fashions, dietary fads and beauty regimes and even participate in some of the extreme practices she discovers."

Apparently, I wasn't the only one unimpressed by NBC's Merlin, which premiered on Sunday night. Over two hours, it was only watched by 5.3 million people. The reimagining of the legend -- including Merlin's relationship with Arthur and the fact that Arthur has a relationship with his dad at all -- didn't work for me, and I thought the acting was lame, particularly Merlin's wide-eyed staring at a CGI of Camelot (the 0:15 mark in the video):

Ox Notes: June 18, 2009

2009-06-18T11:29:00.008-05:00

Vera Wang confirmed to People that she's been approached to compete on Dancing with the Stars 9 and is considering the offer.

DwtS pros Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy will join the stage show Burn the Floor for a three-week run on Broadway starting in late July.

Former DwtS contestant Melissa Rycroft landed a gig as a summer correspondent on Good Morning America.

Wednesday is my favorite night of TV during the summer. Last night I watched Wipeout, the premiere of I Survived a Japanese Game Show, an episode of Globe Trekker on PBS (whoops, forgot about Chess on the other local PBS station), and the latest episode of Top Chef Masters.

Zap2It posted a recap of last night's episode of So You Think You Can Dance.

The CW announced its fall schedule. Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill will swap timeslots on Monday nights, and Smallville moves to Fridays.

The Emmys have moved back to their original September 20 air date after realizing that MTV had already scheduled its Video Music Awards for September 13.

The Travel Channel is set to premiere the lengthily-titled reality competition The Streets of America: The Search for America's Worst Driver in early 2010. By rewarding bad drivers with fame and presumably money, isn't Travel Channel actually promoting bad driving?

Ox Notes: June 16, 2009

2009-06-16T10:26:00.011-05:00

So You Think You Can Dance fans, brace yourselves for a performance by Katie Holmes. Us Magazine reports that Holmes filmed the Tyce Diorio-choreographed routine yesterday, and it may air as early as this week.

FOX announced its fall schedule, which includes abbreviated episodes of So You Think You Can Dance until Hell's Kitchen finishes its season in October.

In Dancing with the Stars news, MOIB reader Deb noticed a rumor that Olympic gymnast Dominic Moceanu may be paired with Tony Dovolani for DwtS 9. The website Pure Dancing with the Stars also reports that American Idol contestant Danny Gokey is rumored to be in the DwtS 9 cast.

Nielsen's report of online network TV viewing -- which doesn't include Hulu viewers -- revealed that Dancing with the Stars had the highest number of unique viewers among all shows in May.

Jeff Probst told Reality Blurred that Survivor seasons 19 and 20 will film back-to-back in order to save money. The fact that Survivor's crew has booked Aggie Grey's resort in Samoa through October means that both seasons will likely be filmed there.

The musical Chess features on this week's episode of Great Performances on PBS. I'm planning on watching the episode when it debuts on Wednesday night, but "One Night in Bangkok" won't be the same without Murray Head (song begins at 0:51):

Ox Notes: June 11, 2009

2009-06-11T10:57:00.010-05:00

Top Chef Masters debuted on Bravo last night. There wasn't much drama in the episode, but I thought that was fine. It's just nice to watch a fresh episode of something from the Top Chef franchise. Zap2It recapped the premiere, and The Futon Critic interviewed TCM host Kelly Choi.

Last night also featured performances by the top 20 competitors on So You Think You Can Dance. Zap2It's recap includes the names of each couple's choreographer and song, including new SYTYCD choreographer Louis van Amstel.

SAG members agreed to a new contract, averting an actors strike for the time being.

Hollywood is still feeling the effects of the 2007-08 writers strike. Fewer pilots are filming in California these days, heading instead to Canada and New York to take advantage of tax breaks.

Comedy Central plans to revive Futurama, with new episodes of the cartoon airing mid-2010.

Shark Week returns to Discovery Channel on August 2. The new season of Mad Men kicks off on AMC on August 16.

ABC announced its fall premiere dates, including a September 21 debut for Dancing with the Stars 9.

To go along with the schedule announcement, we have our first DwtS 9 cast rumor: Vera Wang. MOIB reader Amy wonders if there's any chance that the 60-year-old fashion designer won't be paired with either Jonathan Roberts or Tony Dovolani.

ABC also revealed plans to import yet another celebrity dance show from the U.K. Let's Dance will feature celebrities recreating famous dance routines, with proceeds from audience votes going to charity. The series will air in between seasons of Dancing with the Stars.

The winner of the British version, officially titled Let's Dance for Comic Relief, was Robert Webb, better known as Jeremy from Peep Show (the funniest show I've ever seen). His take on Flashdance is hilarious, even if is leotard is unsettling.

Ox Notes: June 9, 2009

2009-06-09T10:18:00.015-05:00

Emmy balloting is underway, with the nominees set to be announced on July 16. Variety compiled a list of likely contenders in the reality show categories.

Variety also gathered a list of reality show stars who, while not eligible for Emmys themselves, keep us watching their shows -- guys like Bret "Set Piece in the Face" Michaels and Survivor: Tocantins' Coach.

Speaking of Coach, he recently gave a predictably long interview to the Springfield, MO News-Leader about life after Survivor. His villain edit on the show appears to have prompted a religious conversion, and he's sadly toned down the Dragon Slayer act.

Variety has another article about what it takes for new reality shows to succeed in a saturated market.

EW gave a nod to fun, trashy summer TV shows, including Charm School and my beloved Harper's Island.

Former Dancing with the Stars contestants have found a home onstage in Las Vegas. Kelly Monaco and Mel B are leaving the revue PEEPSHOW on June 21, making way for Holly Madison to join the cast.

In the previous edition of Ox Notes, I embedded a video compilation of '80s cartoon theme songs. It inspired me to spend an embarrassing amount of time searching for other classic cartoon themes. Thanks to YouTube, I discovered that the wonderful theme song for Gummi Bears is available in Japanese, German, Swedish, Polish, Norwegian, Bulgarian, Dutch, Czech, French, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish and Slovak. The Slovak version is pretty intense, but I'm partial to the Russian version, complete with English subtitles:

Ox Notes: June 4, 2009

2009-06-04T10:27:00.008-05:00

I'll get the bad news out of the way first: TV is bad for infants and reality show contestants.

Everyone knows that it's bad to use TV as a baby sitter, but a recent study reports that infants' language development suffers just being in the room with an adult watching TV.

TheWrap.com posted a two-part article about the dark side of participating in reality shows. Part 1 highlights eleven successful and unsuccessful suicide attempts by reality show contestants. Part 2 features commentary by mental health professionals.

In happier news, Bravo announced that the sixth season of Top Chef will take place in Las Vegas. EW interviewed Season 5 contestants Carla, Fabio and Jeff about life after Top Chef.

With Alec Baldwin already a star on 30 Rock and Daniel Baldwin joining his brother, Stephen, on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Variety's Brian Lowry speculates that NBC really stands for "No Baldwin Control."

In Dancing with the Stars news, Season 8 runner-up Gilles Marini had shoulder surgery on Tuesday. The trophies belonging to Season 8 champs Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas are already broken.

Variety has a great article about the death of TV theme songs. These days, network shows devote as little as ten seconds to opening theme music.

The Variety article prompted me to search YouTube for great TV themes. I found this compilation of ten cartoon theme songs from the 1980s. Of the shows featured in the video, the only one I watched was Jem, and I still remember all the lyrics to its theme song. The rest of the songs are pretty epic, even if all of the cartoons seem to involve space robots:

Ox Notes: June 2, 2009

2009-06-02T10:04:00.011-05:00

I feel bad for EW's Ken Tucker. He had to watch both I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Jon & Kate Plus 8 last night.

Just in case Jon & Kate's marriage implodes, TLC is looking for another family with multiples for a new reality series.

In other big-families-on-TV news, a Netherlands-based production company is preparing a reality show starring the Octomom. And EW's Michael Slezak hopes to cash in on the craze by proposing his own reality show: Gay Dads + Countless Bebehs.

I'm not easily charmed by photos of the children of celebrities, but this picture of Suri Cruise messily eating a chocolate croissant is pretty adorable.

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew will return for a third season in early 2010. If you can't wait that long, you may want to check out Celebrity Rehab alum Mary Carey's new film, Celebrity Pornhab with Dr. Screw, released on DVD today.

Another production slated for release in the U.S. in 2010 is a BBC production of Hamlet starring Patrick Stewart. I'm not sure what you'd call a porn rip-off of Hamlet. Spermlet?

The Futon Critic has the scoop on celebrity guests for Jimmy Kimmel's summer primetime specials and airdates for previously unaired episodes of ABC's canceled shows.

Zap2It posted another gleeful recap of the latest episode of Harper's Island. If you're not watching the horror/slasher show Saturday night's on CBS, this is what you're missing:

Ox Notes: May 28, 2009

2009-05-28T10:52:00.013-05:00

ABC has the cure for Dancing with the Stars fans already experiencing Tom Bergeron withdrawal. The DwtS host will emcee tonight's primetime finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee at 8 ET.

American Idol contestant Danny Gokey is campaigning for a spot on Dancing with the Stars 9. I don't think it's gonna happen, Danny. The only reality show talent ABC poaches from FOX are contestants from So You Think You Can Dance.

TV Guide recapped last night's episode of SYTYCD.

Tonight at 8 ET, CNBC will air a special on the vast influence of Oprah Winfrey called The Oprah Effect. The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan reviewed the special, which deals with the hidden dangers of Oprah's public approval.

TLC announced that Jon & Kate Plus 8 isn't going away anytime soon. The current season is 40 episodes long, and nearly 10 million people watched Monday's season premiere.

EW has the scoop on the new season of Project Runway.

This interview with Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the creator of Designing Women, is pretty interesting for what she reveals about how the TV industry has changed since the 1980s.

Variety has an article about how the current recession has shaped the fall 2009 TV season.

Last night marked the return of my beloved Wipeout. An intrepid MSN reporter ran the course for a piece she wrote about the show. Here are the results:

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&amp;amp;amp;amp;from=sp&amp;amp;amp;amp;vid=336950a8-65be-4dea-89fe-7caa0391dedb" target="_new" title="'Wipeout' Exclusive: MSN TV Wipes Out"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Video: 'Wipeout' Exclusive: MSN TV Wipes Out&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Ox Notes: May 26, 2009

2009-05-26T09:56:00.010-05:00

It's summer in TV land, which means there's not much TV news to write about. Therefore, I'll be posting new Ox Notes only on Tuesdays and Thursdays until we get closer to the fall TV season.

You can keep tabs on summer series premiere dates with Zap2It's Premieres and Finales Calendar. The website posted reviews of two new shows premiering tonight, Mental on FOX and Hitched or Ditched on The CW.

A new season of Jon & Kate Plus 8 debuted on TLC last night, and critics weren't impressed with the latest episode in the increasingly uncomfortable-to-watch series.

Fans of The Bachelorette will want to read host Chris Harrison's blog for his take on last night's episode.

Zap2It's Harper's Island recapper, Andrea Reiher, seems positively gleeful about all of the show's gory deaths. So am I.

While flipping through the channels this weekend, Greg and I wondered exactly what Ion Television is. The answer: a broadcaster in financial trouble.

My brother will be outraged to learn that Disney is planning to remake its 1986 live-action sci-fi flick Flight of the Navigator.

In other sci-fi remake news, ABC released a promo trailer for its remake of the '80s alien invasion mini-series V. While the promo clip below looks cool and stars Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell, I'm not they'll be able to improve on this scene from V: The Final Battle.

Ox Notes: May 21, 2009

2009-05-21T11:27:00.012-05:00

Ox Notes is back from vacation; did anything happen while I was gone?

Catching up on the most important Dancing with the Stars 8 commentary, here's a link to the final Yahoo! Buzz Sessions of the season (the excellent post-Finale episode is at the bottom of the list). Judge Carrie Ann Inaba blogged about the season finale for EW.

Survivor: Tocantins also ended while I was away, so here's a link to host Jeff Probst's final EW blog post. Reality Blurred interviewed Survivor's Stephen, Erinn and Taj.

So You Think You Can Dance premiere's tonight on FOX at 8 ET. Judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy talked to TV Guide about the new season.

As soon as this summer season of SYTYCD ends, a new one begins in the fall, putting FOX's dance show into direct competition with Dancing with the Stars.

The networks have all announced their fall schedules. EW has a cheat sheet that lists the fates of current shows, while Zap2It posted cool grids of the night-by-night schedules for NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX and The CW.

NBC's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! couldn't cast indicted former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich because a judge wouldn't allow him to leave the country to film the show. So, naturally, they cast Rod's wife, Patti. Wait, huh? I live in Illinois, and even I don't know enough about Patti Blagojevich to want to watch her on TV. Why does the network think anyone outside The Land of Lincoln will care?

With another season of DwtS in the books, it seems fitting to end this post with a vid of Season 8 champs Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Ox Notes will return on Tuesday, May 26.

Ox Notes: May 14, 2009

2009-05-14T10:17:00.011-05:00

If you want to know why the Dancing with the Stars finalists seem stressed during the last weeks of the season, it's because they get stuck doing dumb things like photo shoots about what kinds of food they like for In Touch, which are then filmed by Entertainment Tonight. Sorry, Melissa & Tony.

Catching up on some other DwtS news, Us chatted with Ty Murray, Gilles Marini spoke with OK! and People filed a What You Didn't See report from the set of Tuesday's Results Show.

In Carrie Ann Inaba's latest blog post for EW, she wrote, "I'm not saying that Melissa doesn't work hard." That sentence, placed within a rambling paragraph about how talented people sometimes have bad work ethics, can mean only one thing: Carrie Ann thinks Melissa doesn't work hard.

Tuesday's DwtS Results Show was watched by 14.06 million people, though its ratings among 18-34 year olds were only slightly better than those of The CW's 90210.

OK! Magazine is giving you the opportunity to workout with Lacey Schwimmer on May 30.

Reality TV World posted lengthy interviews with The Amazing Race teams Victor & Tammy and Jamie & Cara that I'll get around to reading later.

Friday night's episode of Storymakers on AMC features director Judd Apatow talking about just how much male frontal nudity moviegoers are willing to sit through before walking out of the theater.

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan argues that NBC's new Amy Poehler comedy, Parks and Recreation, is actually less funny than Joey, the network's Friends spin-off starring Matt Le Blanc. Wow.

Ox Notes: May 13, 2009

2009-05-13T10:51:00.011-05:00

After last night's Dancing with the Stars Results Show, the contestants chatted on camera with ET, The Insider and Access Hollywood. Print outlets OK! and People were also backstage.

Gilles Marini was especially chatty, telling OK! about his new acting role and revealing too much to E! about his, um, extracurricular activities.

Former DwtS contestant Paulina Porizkova was reportedly fired from America's Next Top Model for having a big ego. There's only enough room on that set for one big ego, and that ego belongs to Tyra Banks.

Interviews with The Amazing Race 14 contestants continue to hit the Web. TV Guide has interviews with Jamie & Cara and Luke & Margie, who also did an interview with AfterElton.com (thanks for the tip, Jen C).

FOX has renewed Lie to Me for a second season and picked up two pilots for the fall.

While you may be sick of the profusion of Jon and Kate Gosselin affair/break up stories, it is interesting to think of all the money and free stuff they stand to lose if they split up and force the cancellation of Jon & Kate Plus 8. Will $75,000 an episode and free Disney World tickets be enough to keep them together?

Finally, here's a clip of Ty Murray & Chelsie Hightower's farewell appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live:

Ox Notes: May 12, 2009

2009-05-12T10:40:00.012-05:00

If it wasn't for the MOIB chatroom and the Yahoo! Buzz Session, I'm not sure I'd be able to endure all of the filler that comes with Dancing with the Stars. This week's Buzz Session highlight is Joey Lawrence's claim that Gilles Marini cries tears of Evian.

The Insider and ET had cameras backstage after the DwtS Performance Show. The contestants also chatted with Us, OK! and People. People wants to know who got screwed worse by the judges last night, Melissa Rycroft or Shawn Johnson.

Between DwtS rehearsals, Gilles & Cheryl had to attend the opening ceremony for a new Cheryl Burke Dance studio in Laguna Niguel, California.

In other celebrity TV news, AMC's Storymakers announced its guest list, which includes Cameron Diaz and Judd Apatow. And CBS announced airdates for the remaining episodes of Million Dollar Password.

This past Sunday night, Tammy & Victor won The Amazing Race 14. The siblings talked about their victory with TV Guide and People, and host Phil Keoghan blogged about the finale for EW.

Sorry, Lauren Graham fans. NBC isn't picking up her pilot, Legally Mad.

Believe it or not, American Gladiators: The Movie is coming to a theater near you. I say it's about time. I mean, how am I supposed to appreciate the athletic prowess of behemoths like Wolf and Nitro without knowing their backstories?

Ox Notes: May 7, 2009

2009-05-07T10:42:00.009-05:00

Julianne may not be the only Hough absent from Dancing with the Stars 9. Derek Hough and Mark Ballas may skip next season to promote their band. There's also a chance that Derek may land a role in the upcoming Footloose remake.

ET has a video of DwtS pros Jonathan Roberts, Anna Trebunskaya, Dmitry Chaplin, Karina Smirnoff, Louis van Amstel and Elena Grinenko rehearsing for an upcoming charity performance.

Bravo's Project Runway substitute, The Fashion Show, debuts tonight. The Chicago Tribune's reviewer says the show has a few problems.

Tonight's episode of Bones features a cameo by cartoon character Stewie Griffin.

Ahead of tonight's new episode of Survivor: Tocantins, here are links to interviews with ousted castaway Sierra by People and TV Guide.

People and TV Guide also interviewed Jen & Kisha of The Amazing Race.

ET posted a gallery of the men competing to win the heart of The Bachelorette this summer.

A computer glitch has delayed the publication of Nielsen's TV audience numbers for several days. Networks are understandably upset, as they need the data to determine which shows to bring back next season.

Ox Notes will return on Tuesday, May 12. Until then, enjoy this video of Lil' Kim & Derek Hough performing on this morning's episode of Regis & Kelly:

Ox Notes: May 6, 2009

2009-05-06T11:50:00.012-05:00

After last night's shocking elimination of Lil' Kim & Derek, the cast of Dancing with the Stars 8 chatted with Access Hollywood, The Insider, ET, E!, OK! and People.

In next week's semifinal round, Melissa & Tony will dance the Quickstep and Cha Cha, Gilles & Cheryl will dance the Waltz and Salsa, Shawn & Mark will dance the Argentine Tango and Jive, and Ty & Chelsie will dance the Viennese Waltz and Samba.

Carrie Ann Inaba blogged her thoughts on this week's performances for EW, and People filed a What You Didn't See report from the set of Tuesday's Results Show.

If last night's edition of Dance Center left you pining for Kenny Mayne, check out his ESPN.com page.

In other DwtS news, Karina Smirnoff is already freaking out over preparations for her wedding to Maksim Chmerkovskiy, even though it's more than a year away.

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan interviewed Jim Beavers, one of the stars of Supernatural and my beloved Harper's Island.

While Wipeout is ABC's most talked about summer game show (deservedly so), here's a reason to watch the new season of its sister program, I Survived a Japanese Game Show: it just won an international award for best reality show.

EW's Michael Ausiello has fall TV cheat sheet with the probable and official fates of network shows.

Fellow geeks, rejoice with me! HBO has hired Tom McCarthy to direct Game of Thrones and Peter Dinklage to play Tyrion Lannister. Huzzah!

Finally, here's video Lil' Kim & Derek's appearance on last night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live:

Ox Notes: May 5, 2009

2009-05-05T11:25:00.011-05:00

After Monday's DwtS Performance Show, ET special correspondent Maksim Chmerkovskiy asked Jewel about her controversial blog comments regarding Melissa Rycroft. Jewel wrote a second post last week claiming that her original comments had been "mangled" by gossip sites, even though her words were quoted directly in most cases. Is that egg on your face, Jewel?

Other media outlets backstage included The Insider, Access Hollywood, OK! and People. In this week's Yahoo! Buzz Session, Joey Lawrence made a Nell Carter joke (for those of us old enough to remember Joey on Gimme a Break).

Catching up on some older DwtS 8 news, TV Guide recently interviewed Shawn Johnson and Steve-O. Last week, Denise Richards sang a tone-deaf version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Wrigley Field.

Yesterday, Phil Keoghan blogged about the latest episode of The Amazing Race for EW. Who knew the redheads had it in 'em? CBS posted a new Elimination Station video featuring the ousted teams arriving in the final destination city.

The guy who plays The Haitian on Heroes is trying to raise money for kids in Haiti.

The CW is canceling all of its Sunday night programming, which means that local affiliates will have to find new sources of ad revenue in a field that's already running low on money.

NBC announced some of the shows its picking up for fall, including Joel McHale's new comedy Community. Based on this preview, which also stars Chevy Chase and John Oliver, I'm really looking forward to it:

Ox Notes: May 1, 2009

2009-05-01T10:28:00.007-05:00

Last night's episode of Survivor: Tocantins didn't go down exactly how I expected it to, but it was still great. Host Jeff Probst blogged about the episode for EW. Check out the latest Ponderosa videos if you want to see a great impression of Coach.

Dancing with the Stars 8 spouse Jewel is stirring up trouble with a post she made on husband Ty Murray's MySpace blog. Jewel said she didn't like that Melissa Rycroft was judged on her rehearsal footage on Monday night's show because: "If you're too hurt to compete then you can't compete." She added that she might feel differently about the rule if she was competing on the show. I'm guessing she'd be all for it if it saved Ty.

DwtS pro Julianne Hough will definitely skip Season 9.

ABC and Disney shows will soon be available on Hulu.

A recent study confirmed that people find comfort in TV shows. They'd feel even more comfortable under this Star Trek blanket.

The Futon Critic has a massive Fall 2009 Schedule Grid, including all the shows that have gotten official pickups as well as those still on the bubble.

Reality Blurred has a list of dates for upcoming reality show season finales. The list starts tonight with the finales of Supernanny and Wife Swap on ABC.

Ox Notes will return on Tuesday, May 5. Have a great weekend!

Ox Notes: April 30, 2009

2009-04-30T09:45:00.013-05:00

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

2009-04-29T10:23:00.009-05:00

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

2009-04-28T10:35:00.014-05:00

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

2009-04-23T10:41:00.006-05:00

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

2009-04-21T10:23:00.014-05:00

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

2009-04-17T10:20:00.006-05:00

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

2009-04-16T10:00:00.008-05:00

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

2009-04-15T10:01:00.009-05:00

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

2009-04-14T11:04:00.011-05:00

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

2009-04-13T10:11:00.007-05:00

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

2009-04-09T10:14:00.006-05:00

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

2009-04-08T10:21:00.011-05:00

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

2009-04-07T10:37:00.004-05:00

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

2009-04-02T10:14:00.011-05:00

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

2009-04-01T10:09:00.013-05:00

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:

Ox Notes: March 31, 2009

2009-03-31T10:34:00.012-05:00

Entertainment Tonight has a new reporter on the Dancing with the Stars beat: Maksim Chmerkovskiy. The ousted pro interviewed the couples after last night's exciting DwtS Performance Show.

Access Hollywood's cameras were also backstage with the couples last night, and Samantha Harris turned over her "Insider Sam Cam" to the contestants so that she could rest her ailing voice. OK! chatted with the couples as well.

DwtS 6 champ Kristi Yamaguchi spoke with People about the current season. The magazine sought out some expert opinions on why this season's cast has so many injuries.

The revamped version of Rob Thomas's Cupid premieres on ABC tonight after Dancing with the Stars. Zap2It and The Chicago Tribune gave the new series okay reviews, and Zap2It interviewed Thomas about getting to make Cupid a second time.

Disney/ABC/ESPN signed a deal to bring original programming to YouTube.

Sunday night's episode of The Amazing Race was watched by about 13 million people. TV Guide has an enlightening interview with the eliminated pair, Mel & Mike. I'm gonna miss those guys.

The Chicago Tribune has an interview with comedian Ricky Gervais.

Top Chef: The Tour hit the road last week. In other food TV news, NBC canceled The Chopping Block after just three episodes.

FOX is developing a dating show for "average-looking people." The network also announced that the new season of So You Think You Can Dance will premiere on Thursday, May 21.

Ox Notes: March 30, 2009

2009-03-30T11:10:00.013-05:00

It's Monday, which means another Dancing with the Stars 8 contestant is injured. Holly Madison visited the doctor late last week complaining of a pain in her side, resulting from inflamed muscles around her ribs. She will be able to tango tonight with Dmitry Chaplin.

Also dancing tonight is Steve Wozniak, whose fan base grew after he received a total score of ten points from the judges last week. The Woz and partner Karina Smirnoff stopped by the set of The Insider, where Steve revealed that he may walk Karina down the aisle when she weds Maksim Chmerkovskiy this summer.

When he's not out doing publicity with Karina, Steve Wozniak spends his time going out to dinner and riding Segways with fellow contestant Steve-O.

Another DwtS duo heavy on the publicity circuit are Chuck Wicks & Julianne Hough who recorded two interviews (here and here) with Entertainment Tonight and showed off their Lindy Hop moves for MySpace.

Ty Murray & Chelsie Hightower spoke to TV Guide about the dangers of the Lindy Hop.

Shawn Johnson's DwtS contract, which is a matter of public record because she's a minor, reveals that she -- and presumably the other celebrity cast members -- receive a base salary plus weekly bonuses starting in Week 3 that increase as the season progresses. If Shawn makes it to the Finale, she'll earn $365,000 for the season.

In non-DwtS news, host Phil Keoghan blogged about the latest episode of The Amazing Race. Turns out that none of the Season 14 production crew knew sign language and couldn't communicate with Luke when his mother, Margie, passed out from heat exhaustion.

CBS's TAR website has new videos featuring the losing teams shopping in Thailand and Phil working out in a Russian hotel.

Ox Notes: March 26, 2009

2009-03-26T10:22:00.009-05:00

Leading off with Dancing with the Stars news, an armed man was arrested on Monday after trying to break on to the set to see Shawn Johnson. A restraining order has been issued against the suspect.

Tuesday night's DwtS Results Show was watched by 15.7 million people, finishing second in its timeslot to an episode of NCIS. People has a backstage report from the set. Samantha Harris recorded a post-show video diary for The Insider with camera work so bad that I couldn't stand to watch the whole thing.

After the first three weeks of competition, oddsmakers have recalculated the couples' chances to win Dancing with the Stars 8. Gilles Marini & Cheryl Burke and Melissa Rycroft & Tony Dovolani lead with 3-1 odds.

If you'd like to attend the DwtS 8 Finale, judge Carrie Ann Inaba put two tickets up for bid at charity auction site Clothes Off Our Backs.

This Saturday, Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan starts a 40-day, 39-city bike trip from Los Angeles to New York City to raise money for Bike MS. People has Phil's full itinerary.

People also has an interview with Christie & Jodi, the team most recently eliminated from The Amazing Race. As the Pit Stop footage showed, they finished just two minutes behind Mark & Michael.

Family Guy cartoon character Stewie Griffin will make a cameo appearance on Bones on May 7.

For my brother's sake, I'm posting a link to Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi's sexy new Carl's Jr. commercial.

This is a big week for British comedy series The Mighty Boosh. The show makes its U.S. TV debut on Sunday, March 29 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, and it was just announced that the first season of the show will be released on DVD in the U.S. on July 21.

My knowledge of The Mighty Boosh is limited to one of their sketches: Old Gregg. It is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. I defy you to watch the sketch and not, at some point during the course of your day, spontaneously shout, "I'm Old Gregg!" (Note: The video may be inappropriate/too weird for work):