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Bob SagetHoping to join the ranks of fellow comic Howie Mandel, whose Deal or No Deal has broken out of the stratosphere for ratings, Bob Saget has signed on to host 1 vs. 100 on NBC. Catchy title, huh? Well, the concept is that one contestant plays a game against 100 others. The show is set to air during the 2006-2007 season, although there’s no word on whether or not it will be paired with Deal. Craig Plestis, head of alternative programming at NBC said, “Bob is popular with audiences of all ages and is a perfect fit as host. His irreverent sense of humor and comedic timing will keep audiences laughing and glued to their TV sets as the drama of this high-stakes game unfolds.” The game show eliminates members of the group of 100 as they answer trivia questions incorrectly. Depending on how long the single player stays in the game, the prizes will increase in value. His latest endeavor is a parody called Farce of the Penguins, set to be released in 2007 (although I’m not clear on how you parody March of the Penguins); Saget is also the narrator on How I Met Your Mother.

Read More | Zap2it

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Debra MessingSomething about doing a series on USA seems a bit like career suicide, but you gotta pay the bills when your long-running sitcom finally comes to an end. Debra Messing, of Will & Grace fame, will be taking on the title role in The Starter Wife. Based on a novel by Gigi Levangie Grazer, the six hour series will look at the life of a woman who must redefine herself as the wife of a Hollywood studio head. If the name Grazer is ringing any bells—Gigi was married to (and recently split from) uber-producer Brian Grazer. Messing has had her fair share of success, including the 2003 Emmy win for playing Grace Adler on Will & Grace. Her dance card continues to be filled, with appearances in Curtis Hanson’s upcoming film Lucky You and Edward Burns latest, Purple Violets. Consider this a short stopover at the USA Network—hey, it beats doing a movie of the week.

Read More | Reuters

Jon Stewart Since taking over the seat for The Daily Show in 1996, Jon Stewart’s star has continued to rise. The news has never been more interesting or funny, and all because of his excellent comedic delivery and timing. Stewart’s other endeavors, including books (Naked Pictures of Famous People and A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction), as well as producing The Colbert Report have taken him to the next level. Not to be outdone by… um,... himself, he has signed a deal with Comedy Central to produce a sitcom. The comedy, titled Three Strikes, is set in the world of minor league baseball and is written by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck, writers for King of the Hill, The Larry Sanders Show, and Late Show With David Letterman. No other details have been released about who will star in the sitcom or when it will air.

Read More | Reuters

Curb Your EnthusiasmI’ve been checking HBO’s website weekly to find out if Curb Your Enthusiasm will be back, but there hasn’t been any news—until now. The Hollywood Reporter announced that HBO will in fact be airing a sixth season of Curb. And no, the HBO site still doesn’t have any information about the new season. The series is expected to begin production in September, and all of the players will be returning again. Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines and Susie Essman (god, I love that woman!) will all be on board for the new season, expected to air in 2007. The last season of Curb premiered in September 2005, so we still have a long wait ahead for anything new. Chris Albrecht, chairman and CEO of HBO, just one month ago told reporters that Larry David was unsure about whether or not the show would do another season. With five Emmy nominations, including best comedy, it seemed certain that the show would be back for another term. Pretty, pretty good.

Read More | Reuters

The Barkers The stars of Meet the Barkers, drummer Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler, are now on their way to Splitsville.  Despite the birth of their daughter just seven months ago, Travis filed for divorce this week from the former Miss USA winner.  I smell a cheater out there somewhere.  After a high-profile romance with Oscar de la Hoya, Moakler married the Blink-182 drummer on Halloween in 2004.  Shanna has one child with the boxer and two with Barker.

For those who have lost track, this would be the third MTV-related couple to go down the tubes in the past year—- the first two being Jess/Nick and Carmen/Dave.  Nick Lachey better take note.  If his current fling with Vanessa Minnillo falls apart, he could be the first and fourth MTV relationship to fall apart in the year.

Read More | People

General Hospital In the next few weeks, ABC will softly launch special video podcasts for its daytime viewers.  Fans of General Hospital, All My Children and One Life to Live will have the opportunity to watch weekly promotional features about their favorite soaps.  In addition to storyline teases, the videos will include behind-the-scenes material and interviews with the sudsy actors and actresses.  The podcasts, very similar to those already available for Lost can be accessed via ABC’s website and iTunes.


Penguins  Less than a year after winning the Oscar for Best Documentary, March of the Penguins comes to network television.  Strangely enough, it was the Hallmark Channel that scored the US premiere coup.  Of all cable channels, the Discovery or even ABC Family channels I would expect….but not Hallmark.  Nevertheless, a good movie gets to be seen by all.  The movie will air just after Thanksgiving on Saturday, Nov. 25.  So set a date to gather your family around the television—realizing that you don’t have to carry an egg on your feet in blizzard conditions will definitely make you thankful about something.

Read More | Hallmark Channel

Kim Dozier  More than two months after being wounded in Baghdad, Kimberly Dozier has already left a stateside rehab facility.  The CBS News correspondent was critically injured in a car bombing that killed her photographer (Paul Douglas) and soundman (James Brolan).  A US Army captain and an Iraqi officer also died in the May 29th incident.  Followers of the nightly news are aware that a very similar event involved an ABC crew back on January 29th.  A roadside bombing wounded former World News Tonight anchor Bob Woodruff and his cameraman, Doug Vogt.

Dozier will continue outpatient rehab while she walks with the assistance of crutches and a cane.  Meanwhile, Woodruff’s remarkable road to recovery has included visits to the ABC newsroom and newly voiced intro to an older piece he did on North Korea.


Diff'rent StrokesDiff’rent Strokes, the hit 1970s show about two Harlem orphans who were adopted by a rich businessman, will be the subject of a new NBC movie. The movie, titled Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Diff’rent Strokes, takes a behind-the scenes look at the show that aired from 1978 to 1986. Specifically, the movie looks at Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges and Dana Plato and the pitfalls of child stars. Coleman and Bridges appear in on-camera interviews, but sadly, Plato passed away in 1999, the result of an overdose/suicide attempt. I was watching one of those “child star” shows on E! the other day and saw an interview with Dana Plato—she addressed how her life had taken a downward turn as she battled drugs and alcohol. It was such a sad look at someone who was on top at a young age and lost it all. The movie hopes to shed more light on the rise and fall of childhood stars. The movie will air on Monday, September 4th.

Read More | Access Hollywood

Brooke Burke Brooke Burke, host of Rock Star: Supernova, recently broke the news that she is pregnant. Former Baywatch star, David Charvet, is the daddy. Oh my, what a gorgeous child they will produce! News to me, but Burke already has two children from a previous marriage. Women everywhere with children are now weeping, since Brooke has the perfect body of someone who has never given birth. I guess I should pay closer attention to the fitness product she endorses on an early morning infomercial. I do believe she’s part robot anyway—I don’t know why, but I find myself laughing every week at her hosting abilities on Rock Star. Does anyone else notice the unenthusiastic delivery and monotone introductions? The words she’s speaking seem like they should be a little more convincing. Then again, with a body like hers, I suppose no one is really paying too much attention to what she’s saying!

Read More | Entertainment Tonight

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