After sitting through another exhausting episode of BIG BROTHER — with its endless squabbling between the increasingly immature housemates — I realized that I never gave due praise to a little reality show that really deserved it: HERE COME THE NEWLYWEDS.
Airing over the past few months on ABC directly after THE BACHELORETTE, the woefully underrated NEWLYWEDS had something that few reality offerings do today: charm. The show appeared to be shot on a shoestring budget, had a laidback host and featured contestants who almost immediately defied the stereotypes which leapt to mind when they first appeared on screen.
During the first episode, I fell in loathe-at-first-sight with The Corliss’, who looked like a porn star and her meathead hubby. Yet by the end of the first hour, they’re wildly appealing senses of humor and down-to-earth nature had made them, against all odds, my favorites and the eventual winners. Thoughout the run of the show, each of the couples had their moments to shine and not a single one disappointed.
Read the rest of this entry »
In anticipation of tonight’s premiere of FOX’s newest reality TV show THE MOMENT OF TRUTH, the TV Addict recently had the opportunity to sit down with show creator and executive producer Howard Schultz. But before we get to the interview, this TV Addict must pause and reveal partake in his own moment of truth.
While I generally loathe reality television and blame most of the world’s evils on it, I will be giving this show a try (at least for ten minutes that is.) Not only is there absolutely nothing new/interesting on TV tonight (with the exception of CASHMERE MAFIA), THE MOMENT OF TRUTH is a train-wreck waiting to happen. The Columbian version already was cancelled after a woman confessed to hire someone to murder her husband (for a measly $25,000).
Now that I’ve got that off my chest, on to the interview.
What’s the premise of the show?
Howard Schultz: The basic premise of THE MOMENT OF TRUTH is that it’s a game in which a contestant is potentially asked twenty-one questions. Naturally, each question gets increasingly more personal and private in nature to win a half a million dollars. The game is divided into six levels. There are six questions on the first level, than five, four, then three, two and one, adding up to twenty-one. Contestants can quit at anytime and take the money they’ve won thus far. But if they continue on and tell one lie, they lose everything.
I imagine the questions get a lot more personal as the show goes on?
Absolutely
Read the rest of this entry »
Am I alone in thinking that the GOSSIP GIRL storylines involving the adults tend to be more interesting than those of our central teens? Sure, the kids get the good lines (”I don’t speak Ukranian, but I do speak envelope of cash, and he understood me perfectly.”) but they don’t always click as real human beings. Frankly, I might just be wishing that the characters were as well-defined as they are in the books upon which the series is based. That said, I have to admit that Ed Westwick’s Chuck Bass is one of the most deliciously vile creatures to slither onto the TV screen in ages. Far and away the best line of the night was young Eric intoning to his sis, “Mom looks about as happy as grandma at last call.” Speaking of whom, bring back CeCe, pronto! I miss the old gal!
I really loved LAW & ORDER: GOSSIP GIRL DIVISION this week. I mean, the beautiful, blonde rich girl murdered by the brunette socialite whose world she threatened to rock? It was pretty hard not to think about S and B and the rest of their Upper East Side co-horts, especially given the promos for the real GOSSIP GIRL which have been running for weeks and made it seem as if someone was gonna bite the bullet. This was the SVU that I once knew and loved… fun story, great actors and absolutely no personal info about the detectives. The L&O mothership, meanwhile, didn’t thrill me with its season premiere. First of all, two separate episodes does not make for a “two-hour premiere!” Then again, the first hour was so yawn-inducing that I’m glad it didn’t go on for 120 minutes (although it seemed twice that). Is it really the best idea for a show which once prided itself on refusing to get personal where its leads are concerned to kick off the season delving into the personal issues of new cop Jeremy Sisto? Worse, the plot was yet another retread of the tried-(or should I say tired) and true assisted suicide storyline the show has trotted out time and again. The second hour’s story was more interesting, although it was amazing how quiet Manhattan seemed during the blackout which played a crucial role in the unfolding drama, and they relied on yet another overused plot device by having the earnest attorney tell the cops to go ahead and execute a search warrant he hadn’t actually obtained. Wake me when they run out of new episodes and start rerunning the classics.
Why do bad people keep on winning? I’m tempted to quit watching THE AMAZING RACE now that Kynt and Vixen — aka the good-hearted goths — have been eliminated, especially since they lost to Nate and Jen. Nate’s got a bit of a temper, but who can blame him given the nasty piece of work he’s teamed up with. These two take the fun out of dysfunctional.
Read the rest of this entry »
So ONE TREE HILL will be back in a few weeks, and I find myself asking the age-old question: Am I so hard-up for new programs that I’ll give this monstrosity another try? I think we all know the answer. (Is there anybody out there actually excited about its return?) Could fast-forwarding the plot four years so that the 30something actors are now playing 20somethings instead of high school kids really work?
My housemates and I have decided that Bravo should do a new competition in which past contestants from PROJECT RUNWAY, TOP CHEF, TOP DESIGN and SHEER GENIUS compete against one another in a variety of competitions covered on their individual shows. The reality star who proves to be the best designer/chef/decorator/hairstylist will win, and we’ll call the show TOP, a title sure to appeal to the huge gay audience drawn in by Bravo’s competitions. (If you didn’t get that joke, you are so not among our dream show’s target audience.)
Forgive me, but I’m going on record as loving the crapfest known as CROWNED. It might help that I went into it with the lowest of low expectations, only to find myself laughing at — definitely not with — several of the mother/daughter duos competing for the prize. How can you not get a kick out of a show on which two women name their team Silent But Deadly without realizing that they’ve become a walking flatulence joke? And then there’s Patty and Laura, who define the word “insincere” with their every word, gesture and deed. Finally, there’s Angela, the kind of camera-ready drama queen whom you know spent the weeks before taping got under way figuring out the best way to make herself the center of attention. Her chosen course? Stirring up trouble at every turn. She’s a truly vile woman who represents the worst of what people often become on reality television. I’m not sure I really get the point of having the Cabana Boy around, but you know, I’ve never one to begrudge viewers pointless eye candy. (Although why you’d call him a Cabana Boy and not put him in a swim suit, I’m not sure. Then again, I don’t get why the guy isn’t 75 percent hotter.) It’s nice to see that Nick Verros (of PROJECT RUNWAY’s season 2) getting a little work, if only to show the would-be models that there is life after reality tv… if by “life” you mean landing a one-shot on another reality show. At this point, I’m hoping to see Hollis and Gina walk away with the crown since they’re the only ones who seem like truly decent people.
Read the rest of this entry »
Is anyone else surprised it took FOX this long to announce a celebrity edition of ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER? Set to air this November Sweeps, the celebrity edition is scheduled to include AMERICAN IDOL’S Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler, Regis Philbin, Billy Bush, Tony Hawk and Miss America Lauren Nelson. Talk about a letdown.
Here’s who this TV Addict wanted to see on the show. Genuine celebrities who, in reality, may not be smarter than a 5th grader. Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Nicole Richie, Paula Abdul, to name a few.
One contestant who won’t be competing is Miss Teen USA contestant Miss South Carolina. Sadly, she already proved this weekend that she’s most definitely not smarter than a 5th grader [see clip].
theTHEATREaddict here with a somewhat television related post. Last year I tuned into the second season of So You Think You Can Dance. I am not a huge dance fan but as a lover of musicals I do appreciate excellent choreography. The show captivated me with all the different styles of dance, the insane talent of choreographers and dancers and for once the very informative comments of a reality television judging panel. I also have to admit that watching Cat Deeley and listening to her say “Your Judges” is also enormously appealing.
Many of the dancers have experience doing musicals on a community theatre or Broadway level. Take for example this year’s member of the Top 6 Neil Haskell who performed in The Times They Are A-Changin. Surprisingly it is the Broadway numbers on the show that I dislike the most and the Modern Dance pieces I am captivated by. I never considered myself a fan of Modern Dance but I loved Bill T. Jones work in Spring Awakening and thought the type of dance was the perfect outlet for the angst and emotion of the show. Read the rest of this entry »
Recently, we posted sample questions from “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader” on theTVaddict.com. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for students to flood the site with cries of, “YES!” Or to quote ‘Rebecca’ from the comments, “Those are easy! Come on idiots, get it together!!!”
Well Rebecca (and the rest of you know-it-alls), FOX wants you to put your money where your mouth is. ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER will be holding auditions this summer in cities across America.
While students in schools across the country look forward to a sunny summer break, FOX is heading back to the classroom in search of five new 5th-grade students for the second season of the hit quiz show ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?, which airs with all-new episodes Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Students should start cramming immediately for their elementary exams since auditions begin early this summer in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Interested pupils should visit http://fox.com/AreYouSmarter for guidelines and applications. Additional details will be announced at a later date.
Hubba hubba! Jaclyn Smith is back! Bravo is famous for their great reality shows and the new show, Shear Genius, is no exception. Hairstylists from around the world will go head-to-head in creative challenges that require more than just talent with a comb and scissors. Celebrity hairstylist and designer Sally Hershberger is the lead judge, along with Michael Carl (fashion director of Allure) and Rene Fris (stylist), who serves as the salon manager to the stylists. There is a string of guest judges, including styling industry bigwigs Frederick Fekkai, Ken Paves & Jose Eber.
The contestants, who range from 22-year-old Lacey from York, Pennsylvania and 22-year-old Theodore from Canton, Ohio to 49-year-old Jim from Buffalo, NY, are competing to win the ultimate title of Shear Genius, $100,000 in seed money from Nexxus and a chance to style hair for an Allure magazine feature. They will face two challenges per episode: the short cut challenge, testing technical hairstyling skills and the elimination challenge, testing creativity and advanced skill. Bravo says, “The stylists will also need the ability to service client needs, manage a staff and work as part of a team to make it in this competition.” In the first challenge, the stylists have 1 hour to show off their signature style on 12 mannequin heads. The winner of the challenge will have first choice of model and station in the upcoming elimination challenge, in which they are supposed to create a work of art using professional models with long hair and a collection of arts and crafts materials. You can watch a 3-minute preview of their first challenge here.
Shear Genius premiered last night following the Top Design finale, then moves to its regular 10/9c timeslot beginning Wednesday, April 18th. If you missed the premiere, Bravo is rerunning it about a bajillion times. You can find a new time on the Bravo website. Check it out!
Those of you who frequent theTVaddict.com on even a semi-regular basis know how little I talk about reality TV. So when I do take the time to mention the lowest genre in television (see: WHO WANTS TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE), it must be for an important reason. Tonight, DANCING WITH THE STARS returns for a fourth season on ABC and with it one of my favourite all time TV characters. Steve Sanders… sorry, Ian Ziering is one of the contestants and I’d like to take a moment to say DONNA MARTIN GRADUATE… I mean… GO IAN ZIERING GO! Here’s hoping you don’t get caught cheating. Lord knows we don’t need another ‘legacy key’ fiasco.
Last night I arrived home only to discover that (gasp!) my PVR had run out of space and failed to record VERONICA MARS (Cruel World why do you do these things to me!?). Luckily, Rogers cable (my cable provider) allows me to watch the west coast feed on KTLA, so after erasing some a ton of old NEWSRADIO episodes (sorry Phil, I have no choice), I was able to record Mrs. Mars at midnight. Stay tuned for my thoughts on the Dean O’Dell Mystery wrap up later today.
That said, it was 9:30PM and frankly I was bored — so I did the unthinkable. I tuned into a new FOX Reality Show (double gasp!) ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER? Truth be told, I found myself enjoying the show and am happy to report, I am indeed smarter than a fifth grader… but just barely.
If you’re wondering if YOU’RE smarter than a fifth grader, why not test yourself with some of the questions from last night’s episode. (Answers are in the Comments, no cheating!)
1. True or False, Polar bears feed on Penguins?
2. If a triangle has an area of 16 square inches and a base of 8 inches, how long is its height? (4th grade math)
3. Who is the first president to be impeached? (4th grade history)
(Note: A UCLA lawyer didn’t get this one!)
4. Name the ship that the pilgrims sailed on from Plymouth England to the Plymouth Colony in America in 1620.
5. Part of a person’s sleep cycle is called a REM cycle. What does REM stand for? (4th grade health)
You can test yourself even more by checking out the official show web site on FOX.com
Loading ...
