Casting News Includes Horatio Sanz, Paul Reubens
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, NBC,
Never fear, it wasn’t the unemployment line for former Saturday Night Live player Horatio Sanz for long. Sanz has been signed on for an NBC pilot, called Business Class. This single-camera comedy also stars Mark Valley from Boston Legal. The two are rival soda salesmen. At any rate, it will be interesting to see how Sanz handles a television comedy after eight years on SNL.
In other news, Paul Reubens, who once brought us Pee Wee Herman, and most recently appeared on 30 Rock, will also be coming to the small screen. In Area 52, Reubens stars as an alien living at a secret facility. Will this alien have any similarities with Pee Wee Herman? Unlikely, but I would love to see him in that bow tie and rosey cheeks just one last time.
Read More 
| Zap2it
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Black Donnellys Brings in Disappointing Numbers
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Drama, Prime Time, NBC, Ratings,
NBC certainly hoped that The Black Donnellys would bring in better numbers than the show it replaced, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Turns out it didn’t perform well either, despite the hype. Donnellys only average 8.4 million viewers for its debut, only slightly assisted by the lead-in audience from Heroes. Heroes ran over into Black Donnellys’ timeslot, so the 14.3 million who were watching may have held on for the debut of Donnellys. However, they didn’t stick around—the numbers dropped to 6.8 million at 10:30 p.m. Studio 60, by comparison, averaged 6.1 million viewers during its last episode. I saw a clip on E! with Kritin Veitch where she said that Studio 60 is as expensive to cancel as it is to create, so NBC is certainly between the proverbial rock and hard place.
Read More | AOL
‘5th Grader’ Game Show a Huge Ratings Hit
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Games, Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Ratings,
Apparently lots of people tuned in to find out if they are indeed smarter than a fifth grader. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy and created by Mark Burnett, proved the silly concept can translate into superb ratings. It did so well, in fact, that it was the highest-rated series premiere on any network in nine years. That’s kind of crazy, if you think about it, especially for a game show. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to have uber-popular American Idol as your lead-in either. Idol has been bringing consistently high numbers and you’ve got to think that a majority of them will stick around for the next show. Overall Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? grabbed 26.6 million viewers. Idol led the night with 30.4 million viewers. Interestingly, it bested the previous winner for best series premiere—Jesse on NBC, which debuted in 1998. Remember that show? Nah, me neither.
Read More | Yahoo! News
Anna Nicole Attends Her Last Party
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Drama, Reality, Specials, Cable, Gossip, News, Rumors,
Though the Anna Nicole Smith case still hasn’t been put to rest (nothing about Anna’s estate or her baby daughter has been decided), Anna herself will finally be put to rest Friday, March 2, 2007. The beautiful former model/reality TV star will be buried next to her son in the Bahamas, wearing a custom-made gown for the occasion. The very public funeral will give all those who cared about Anna the chance to mourn, but the event promises some surprises for fans, as well. According to insiders, an “undisclosed singer” will perform at Anna Nicole Smith’s funeral. The song that will be sung has also not been disclosed, nor whether or not this will be a previously unheard musical event. Who will sing? What will they sing? For some reason, Anna always manages to just raise more questions. At least some of the mystery will be solved tomorrow, when Anna is finally put to rest.
Read More | TV Guide
Idol Cutie Embroiled in Nudie Scandal?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Gossip, Internet, News, Rumors,
Beautiful, 20-year-old Antonella Barba got camera attention early as one of the two best friends auditioning for American Idol together. Both bombshells drew questions and comments from Simon Cowell (“I bet you two are very popular”) and managed to snag golden tickets to Hollywood. While Barba’s best friend half didn’t make it past Group Night, Antonella managed to survive through Hollywood week and find her way to the big Idol stage. Almost immediately thereafter, questionable photos began to surface of a scantily clad Barba (hem, allegedly of Barba) on the Internet. Antonella hails from Point Pleasant, NJ, a town that carries its own notoriety already – Point Pleasant is the home of the Mothman. There’s no word yet from American Idol execs on whether or not Antonella Barba will be asked to leave the competition, though Playboy founder Hugh Heffner did comment that he might ask her to pose in his famous magazine, when all her Idol business is said and done. Judging by the way Barba sings, he might not have to wait too long.
Read More | Antonella Barba
Though the famous party girl Paris Hilton celebrated her 26th birthday with a big Las Vegas bash, she threw another party over the weekend for those friends who couldn’t make it to her first one. Well, for her friends and for herself - Paris loves to party. The celebutante opened her Hollywood Hills home (an extravagant pad filled with Paris pictures and an actual stripper pole right in the living room) and let the pink drinks flow from the bar for her crowd of friends and hangers-on. Red bull, Pinky Vodka, and AsomBroso Pink Tequila were liberally poured to party guests, who were on hand when Paris’s huge, present-shaped birthday cake was wheeled out among oohs and ahhs. Chocolates and other sweet treats circulated as Paris danced the night away. Paris told Extra that her favorite birthday present came from boyfriend Stavros Niarchos, an elegant (read “expensive”) bracelet for her wrist. Many of Paris’s usual guests were on hand, from sister Nicky Hilton to Stavros, Brandon Davis, and her publicist Elliott Mintz. Other guests included American Idol judge Paula Abdul, wrestler turned movie hunk The Rock, and Ryan Reynolds.
Read More | Extra
Idol Producers, Judges Speak Out About Antonella Barba Pics
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Gossip, Internet, Rumors,
If you’re an Internet surfer, chances are you have seen some mention of the American Idol contestant’s scandalous pics—or maybe you’ve even seen them. Racy photos of Antonella Barba have been circulating online, and until now Idol producers have not made a comment about her status in the competition. Producer Nigel Lythgoe is now saying that she will not be disqualified from the show, saying it will be up to voters to determine her fate. On Inside Edition, he said, “It won’t affect anything, Antonella is about her looks and her talent and that’s the only thing that will affect her journey on American Idol.” The other players on American Idol—Ryan, Randy and Simon—are supporting the singer:
- Simon: “[The photos should] not affect her standing on the show, and if the public wants to keep her in, they’ll keep her in.”
- Randy: “Nobody’s clean in the entertainment business. “There are definitely some moral things that go on with this show.”
- Ryan: “If American Idol is a true representation of American youth, we’re going to find imperfections. And it’s OK to be imperfect.”
Read More | Reality TV World
Vincent Pastore Ditches Dancing With the Stars
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Prime Time, Reality, ABC, Dancing With The Stars, Gossip,
So, the Dancing With the Stars lineup was in place—when, just as we are poised to begin season four on March 19th, one of the contestants drops out. That’s right, Vincent Pastore, of The Sopranos, has decided to leave the dance competition. And why? Because he found out that it’s more strenuous than he anticipated. You would think after his weight loss on Celebrity Fit Club that he would be in decent enough shape to tackle this challenge. The contestants have only been in training for one week, so I guess it’s good that he came to this realization now… then again, how could you not think that this ballroom dance-off was going to be easy? “When I initially committed to joining Dancing with the Stars I didn’t realize just how physically demanding it would be for me,” Pastore said. “Unable to put forth my best effort, I felt it appropriate to step aside and give someone else the opportunity.” The producers are a-ok with this decision, saying that they “respect his decision.” So now the question is—who will fill those big shoes? Does Dancing With the Stars have understudies? Or will the show go on with one less celebrity?
Read More | People
Las Vegas Loses Two Main Players
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Drama, Prime Time, NBC, Internet, Ratings, Renewals,
Wow, two posts about Las Vegas in two days… and I’ve never even seen the show. Yesterday, we reported that Las Vegas had been renewed for a fifth season. The big news today is that two of the stars, James Caan and Nikki Cox, will be leaving the series. Caan is bailing so that he can get back to the movie business; Cox is leaving because of budget cuts. From what I’m reading online, seems that many feel the show can’t go long with Caan’s absence. He is really the heart of the ensemble and the show will be weaker without him. As for Cox, I haven’t seen much outcry over her leaving the series, so I guess the other women are more than easy on the eyes to fill Nikki Cox’s void. Caan commented on his first venture into television, saying, “I’ve had a wonderful four years, worked with great people and made friends for life working on Las Vegas, but I’m eager to return to where my heart is, which is film, and due to the show’s schedule, I missed some great opportunities to do that. I wish the show and everyone involved with it continued success.” Makes you wonder what roles he had to pass on, doesn’t it?
Read More | Yahoo! News
Are Ten-Year-Olds Smarter Than You?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Kids, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, Gossip, News, Ratings,
Leave it to FOX to ask the question no other network dares: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Most adults would say yes, of course. In a new big-budget game show (a deviation for FOX, a network that relies largely upon animated series, intense dramas, and reality TV) college grads will be pit against a class of five fifth graders in an effort to test their general knowledge smarts. There’s only one catch: all of the questions range from first to fifth grade class teachings. The show will run every night this week after FOX’s mega-hit American Idol, in an effort to boost up ratings for the fledging program. Cute little nine, ten, and eleven-year olds, a famous redneck for a host (Jeff Foxworthy), and plenty of money to throw around (the prize for answering only eleven questions? One million dollars) – FOX is banking on a hit. Think you’ve got what it takes to beat fifth graders at school trivia? Then you probably aren’t watching the show.
Read More | TV Squad
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