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Joey Fatone Takes on the Red Carpet

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Award Shows, Games, Music, Cable, Cable/Satellite,

Take that, Justin Timberlake! Well, sort of… Joey Fatone, former boy-bander from NSync, has just been tapped to host the red carpet events for TV Guide Network with former Dancing with the Stars Alum, Lisa Rinna. Fatone has made a major comeback since his appearance on Dancing with the Stars, most recently taking on hosting duties for The Singing Bee. While he hasn’t exactly been standing on the unemployment line since he left his boy band days behind—he was seen in the musical Rent, for one thing—his sudden emergence back into the mainstream is a big deal. He starts his red carpet coverage at the Emmys on September 16th and will continue his red carpet reporting through 2008. Of course, this means Rinna and Fatone take over for Joan and Melissa Rivers—and quite honestly, I don’t care who replaces the Rivers, but I’m so glad to see them gone! Fatone remarked, “I am looking forward to making the Red Carpet experience entertaining, spontaneous, and most of all fun—not only for those walking the Red Carpet, but also for the fans watching at home.”

Disney’s Musical Scores Big

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Cable, Ratings,

High School Musical It would be almost impossible to count the number of TV movies the Disney Channel has premiered. From Halloweentown to Surf Girls, Disney knows how to appeal to the tween and teen set. But even this huge, money-making cable channel couldn’t predict the runaway success of High School Musical, which drew more than 6 million viewers the second time it aired. The soundtrack became a number one album, and the DVD sales went through the roof. Disney did what any cable network would have done – they ordered a sequel.

High School Musical 2 dominated Disney all weekend, airing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And this time, Disney’s original movie set a viewership record. No less than 17.24 million viewers tuned in to see the sequel of the much-loved musical flick. Seventeen million – those numbers are even better than last season’s American Idol, the number one network show. With this amount of watchers, Disney’s movie became the most-watched cable broadcast of all time. The original Musical has already been viewed by more than 200 million in 100 different countries.

On Saturday, I decided to see what all this hype was about. I went to the video store and rented their only remaining copy of High School Musical, then sat down on my couch to find out what all the fuss is about. I was prepared to keep my nose turned up. After all, it’s just another Disney movie, right?

Click to continue reading Disney’s Musical Scores Big

Eternal Sonata Conceived to Give Gamers a Taste of Culture

Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Music, Role Playing Games, Xbox 360,

President of Tri-Crescendo, Hiroya Hatsushiba, based the curious concept of upcoming 360 role-playing game Eternal Sonata on a desire to bring the music of Frederic Chopin to a wider audience—in this case, gamers.

In the game, players exist in a dream world concocted by the composer as he lies on his death bed suffering from tuberculosis which took the life of the famed Polish composer at the age of 39. This dream world grants magical powers to those suffering from incurable illnesses. Chopin’s music is incorporated into the game as unlockable rewards for completing side quests.

Considering the recent “are games art?” debate being held publicly between the likes of Roger Ebert and Clive Barker, perhaps the inclusion of already established artistic work can help lend some weight to Baker’s pro-art arguments.

Rock of Love is Aw(ful)esome

Posted by David L. Williams Categories: Music, Cable, Editorial, Features,

As I sit here waiting for the new episode of “Rock of Love” to air, I find myself feeling something I only feel for the rarest of reality shows: sickeningly gleeful anticipation. What is “Rock of Love,” you ask? Take it away VH1.com:

Since 1986 when MTV introduced the world to the blue-eyed lead singer of Poison, women around the world have worshiped Bret Michael’s as a veritable Rock God. Never out of the spotlight, Bret’s career is still rocking with Poison and as a successful solo artist and the women are still lining up in hopes of a lying down with the sexy star. But the demands of life-on-the-road for the ultimate rocker have taken a toll…on his love life.

Twenty lucky ladies will get their chance for an All-Access pass to Bret Michaels’ heart and to share in all his superstar lifestyle. Bret will invite twenty handpicked beautiful women to move into his rock and roll palace in the Hollywood Hills and compete for his heart. They must win over his mind and his body by proving their love for Bret, their passion for rock and their potential to be the perfect “Rock Star Girlfriend.”

The show is a crazy train(wreck) not seen on TV since…well, VH1’s “Flavor of Love.” How, only two episodes in, do I already love the aw(ful)esomeness of this show? Let me count the ways (spoiler alert: there are three ways):

Click to continue reading Rock of Love is Aw(ful)esome

Ryan Seacrest Lands Super Bowl Job

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Prime Time, Sports, FOX,

Naturally, when you think of the Super Bowl, you think of… Ryan Seacrest? Well, I’m not so sure that’s a match made in heaven, but it does fulfill Seacrest’s dream of becoming the hardest working man in Hollywood. That’s got to be his dream—otherwise he’s just got a lot of bills to pay off or something. No worries though, he won’t be doing any sportscasting, rather he’ll serve as entertainment host. Huh? Since when does the Super Bowl need a play-by-play of the entertainment climate? David Hill, chairman of Fox Sports Television Group said, “The Super Bowl has grown to become a landmark holiday on the American calendar, attracting not only the sports world, but the biggest stars in music and entertainment. Naturally, we’d like our broadcast to reflect that growth, so we’ve expanded our pregame lineup beyond the realm of sports.” So, Seacrest will be working the pregame red carpet (if that’s what you want to call it), interviewing the celebs and introducing pregame entertainment. Seacrest, naturally, is “thrilled about joining the absolute best sports broadcast team in the world.” Can’t you see the dollar signs in his eyes?

Ellen DeGeneres to Host Variety Show

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Daytime, Music, Prime Time, Talk Shows, Cable, Cable/Satellite,

Back in the day, variety shows were all the rage… now, not so much. Ellen DeGeneres hopes to change that with a new variety show on TBS. And really, who better to do it than Ellen? Her huge appeal makes her a natural choice and I’m sure fans of her stand-up and talk show will be tuning in for a glimpse of what could be a fun little show. Ellen’s Really Big Show, as it will be called, will debut on November 18th on TBS—a two-hour special that will be shot during The Comedy Festival earlier in November. The show will feature both music and comedy… and, of course, Ellen. According to DeGeneres, “I’m very happy to be working with TBS. I usually put two TBS of sugar in my coffee every day, so this is a dream come true for me.” Ha! If you liked that line, expect plenty more during the variety show. Michael Wright, TBS programming chief had nothing but praise for DeGeneres, saying, “It’s especially exciting to see her bring back the variety special format, which for decades provided television with some of its most memorable performances.” No details yet on what performers will grace the “really big show,” but it certainly should be an entertaining couple of hours.

New Guitar Hero II DLC: My Chemical Romance Pack

Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Downloadable Content, Music, Xbox 360,

Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360 is getting some additional downloadable content this week in the form of a three-song pack, this time from a single band: My Chemical Romance. The included songs are “Famous Last Words,” “Teenagers” and “This is How I Disappear,” which will be available for 500 Microsoft Points.

Single-band packs seem to make more sense than the grab bag of the first couple DLC options, but the price point hasn’t changed from the oft-maligned $6.25 level.

Constantine’s Album Release

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Talent, Gossip,

Constantine Maroulis Though many people are already looking forward to a new season of American Idol, some may still remember the contestants from season four. Carrie Underwood, country diva, walked away with the Idol crown…but that doesn’t mean fourth-place finisher Constantine Maroulis isn’t still making music. His sultry eyes and classic croon won over female fans years ago, and his good looks won him a spot on CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful. But, can he win over music fans? Maroulis has released a self-titled debut album, twelve pop-rock songs that showcase his singing range. So far, reviews aren’t all that favorable. There is no question Constantine can sing – he made it past Simon Cowell, right? – but a good album is often about more than singing. The album’s final track, Midnight Radio, includes shout-outs to famed singers like Yoko Ono, Tina Turner…and himself.

American Idol Auditions Up and Running

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Gossip,

American Idol judges American Idol’s seven-city auditions tour has begun, and thousands have already lined up to get fifteen seconds in front of Simon, Randy, and Paula. More than 12,000 turned out in San Diego, but the line outside the Texas Stadium this week stretched to 30 people wide. Among them was LaCondra Davies, whom faithful viewers may recognize from last season. Davies made it to Hollywood Week last year, but no further. This year, Davies says she knows the game. As temperatures climbed to 90 degrees in the Texas heat, ice packs were passed around to waiting contestants. It was in Dallas that Kelly Clarkson, the first Idol, was discovered – she’s from nearby Burleson. Has the winner of season seven already been selected to move on to Hollywood week? The next Idol auditions will be held in Omaha, Atlanta, Miami, Charleston, and Philadelphia, with Idol returning to the small screen in January 2008.

(You can find all the American Idol 7 posts here.)

Idol Wannabe Goes Into Labor During Audition

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Reality, FOX,

And you thought that Beyonce going on with the show after she recently fell down a flight of stairs while singing was impressive… one of the hopefuls for American Idol went into labor during the audition process. It happened during Tuesday’s Dallas tryout, where Antoria Gillon started having contractions during her audition in front of the producers. Seems that since waiting in line since 2 a.m. the night before, Gillon wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way. She said, “I kept singing. One of the judges gave me her seat! I told her I had been there all day, and nothing was going to stop me from singing. I hadn’t been there all day for nothing!” This has got to be one of the truest cases of “the show must go on.” The happy ending is two part—first, Gillon was taken to a nearby hospital, where she delivered a baby boy; second, she got the coveted “golden ticket” to go to the next round. Of course, this Idol first had many wondering what she named the new baby—Simon, perhaps? Nope, but she did give a shout out to the talent competition by naming him Jamil LaBarron Idol McCowan. Now that’s some delivery story!

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