Monthly Archives: March 2008

Ox Notes: March 6, 2008

Project Runway 4 crowned a winner last night, and USA Today and People have interviews with the lucky designer. All three finalists’ collections are up for bid as well.

Bravo’s website posted its own interview with the winner of Project Runway, including some funny photos. The site also features a blog post by Tim Gunn, Michael Kors’ advice for the winner, and a short Q&A with one of the losing designers, who said Victoria Beckham judged "by shopping."

Starting in August, TLC’s fashion makeover show What Not to Wear will be paired with a show from Real Simple magazine, which aims to teach women how to simplify their lives.

VH-1 is working on a show called I Know My Kid’s a Star, in which parents and their kids compete to see if they’ve got what it takes to make it in Hollywood. The show will be hosted by Danny Bonaduce, the poster child for why pushing your kid into showbiz at a young age is a bad idea.

The chances are good that Friday Night Lights will be back.

Big Brother 9 split up its competing couples last night, meaning that the show will continue for at least eight more weeks.

TV Guide interviewed the most recent Survivor voted out of Micronesia, Mikey B, who still harbors a grudge against Tracy for letting the Fans waste three days constructing unusable shelters before revealing that she builds houses for a living.

Tuesday’s presidential primaries may have been a boon for cable news networks, but they marked the start of my official vacation from election coverage. For the rest of the month, I’m avoiding CNN and MSNBC (don’t worry, I’ll keep up with other news on the Internet.). There’s only so much gossip-mongering, conventional wisdom, and idiotic horserace coverage I can take from guys like Tim Russert and Chris Matthews.

Ox Notes: March 5, 2008

Project Runway 4 concludes tonight on Bravo, and People interviewed Chris March, the last contestant cut before the finale. In order to keep the finalists’ identities a secret at Fashion Week, Chris and fellow auf’d designer Sweet P presented collections that won’t be shown in the finale, but are being auctioned online for charity.

Top Chef: Chicago, which assumes Project Runway’s timeslot next Wednesday, announced which corporate sponsors will have products integrated into the show this season. I’d hate to be the guest judge for Clorox week.

Former Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy thinks the four couples to watch this season are Christian & Cheryl, Jason & Edyta, Kristi & Mark, and Monica & Jonathan.

Mario Lopez is taking the skills he learned on DwtS to Broadway, where he will star in a revival of A Chorus Line.

Another former DwtS contestant, Paulina Porizkova, spoke with TV Guide about her new gig as a judge on America’s Next Top Model. Paulina’s insights into the world of modeling make the interview a great read.

The CW announced its spring schedule, and NBC released its plans for an "All-American Summer."

Variety’s Brian Lowry suggests that network "specials" become less special when there are so many of them.

The Futon Critic has a TV development update, including news about a young adult book series called How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls, which is being turned into a TV series for the CW, a la Gossip Girl.

E! has a new show in the works called Living Lohan that will follow Dina Lohan’s attempts to turn 14-year-old daughter Ali into a superstar, just like her big sis Lindsay. I’m assuming they’ll save the inevitable late night boozing/stint in rehab story arc for Season 2.

Ox Notes: March 4, 2008

Miami Dolphins exec Bill Parcells says the team is not planning to trade defensive end and Dancing with the Stars 6 contestant Jason Taylor.

Following up on a story in yesterday’s Ox Notes, the Food Network has fired chef Robert Irvine, host of Dinner: Impossible.

Speaking of TV personalities in trouble, Jackass’ Steve-O was arrested after he got into a fight with his neighbor about a fence.

Turner networks TNT and TBS announced plans for more original programming, although I think Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s lion’s mane hairdo would make it impossible for me to take new TNT drama Raising the Bar seriously.

On the same day that CW renewed six shows for another season, the network cut 25 staff members and permanently downsized its comedy department. Three of my favorite shows — Gossip Girl, Smallville, and Supernatural — were among those renewed, although I’m wondering how much longer they can drag out Smallville. An eighth season of Lana & Clark fighting about keeping secrets from one another and then making up seems like enough.

Reality Blurred has a post about the ratings success of some of this season’s new shows about dancing.

This year’s Idol Gives Back charity special will include appearances by Bono and Snoop Dogg.

Idol judge Simon Cowell is making a movie for Paramount about Paul Potts, the cell phone salesman who won 2007’s Britain’s Got Talent. If you haven’t seen Potts’ winning rendition of "Nessun Dorma," you’re in for a treat.

Ox Notes: March 3, 2008

Dancing with the Stars 6 contestant Mario has some real challenges ahead of him. His pro partner, Karina Smirnoff, had back surgery a few days ago, although she expects to be able to compete this season.

Access Hollywood checked in on the DwtS pros as they rehearsed their opening night dance number. Louis van Amstel revealed that he was familiar with his celebrity partner, Priscilla Presley, from her work on Dallas: "In Holland, I watched that show religiously."

If you’ve missed Nick Kosovich since he stopped dancing on DwtS, you can find him in Chicago on March 7, judging the third annual Dancing with Chicago Celebrities charity event with his wife, Lena.

ABC is working on a High School Musical reality show, with plans to air it this summer.

Reality producers Nigel Lythgoe and Mark Burnett have some ideas on how to make the Oscars telecast more appealing to viewers. Their foremost suggestion: limit the telecast to two hours.

Robert Irvine, host of the Food Network’s Dinner: Impossible, was busted for having lied about his resume. Turns out, he wasn’t knighted by Queen Elizabeth.

The Futon Critic has a handy spring programming grid, and Reality Blurred offers a list of reality show premiere dates for the spring.

One of my favorite shows, The Deadliest Catch, is missing from both of the spring guides. Perhaps Discovery Channel is holding the show until the videogame Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm is ready for release. Just what the world needs, another fishing videogame.