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Archive for August, 2007

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Ready for ‘Dancing With the OC’?

August 27th, 2007, 2:00 pm by The Watcher

What a Cheetah Girl looks likeOne Orange County’s own will be featured on season 5 of “Dancing With the Stars”: Sabrina Bryan.

If you are older than 15, chances are the name of this “star” is not ringing a bell. If you don’t have a tween handy, allow the Watcher to fill in some gaps. Sabrina is one of the Cheetah Girls, a musical creation of the Disney Channel that was the “High School Musical” of its day, way, way back in 2004.

Sabrina - real name Reba Hinojos - is from Yorba Linda and went to Chapman University. She is just shy of turning 23.

Reportedly, Sabrina’s participation was leaked on the Cheetah Girls MySpace site. I say “reportedly” because if you visit the site now, the CGs inform you that the site is having some troubles and they “ARE GOING TO BE NEEDING A FEW WEEKS TO HOOK IT UP LIKE IT WAS BEFORE.” Not coincidentally, Sabrina’s own website says it will be launching next week.

The gossip website TMZ.com claims to have uncovered the complete list of the season’s celebrity dancers, and theirs includes Sabrina as well. If the list is accurate - and it almost certainly is - then ABC has taken the Watcher’s advice and cranked back the celebrity level of the sports stars and dropped the country singers altogether. Maybe this season the contestants will have a chance to be judged for their dancing.

TMZ’s list:

Giselle Bundchen, supermodel
Aaron Carter, ex-teen heart throb
Helio Castroneves, race driver
Mark Cuban, billionaire doofus
Lou Ferrigno, Incredible Hulk
Jennie Garth, “90210″ graduate
Floyd Mayweather, Jr., boxer
Mr. Wayne Newton, World’s Greatest Entertainer
Nia Peeples, soap star
Richard Quest, news anchor
Jane Seymour, actress
Tori Spelling, innkeeper

Spice Girl Melanie Brown (aka Mel B or Scary Spice) will be involved in the show, but not as a dancer.

The cast will officially be unveiled Wednesday on “Good Morning, America.”

Posted in: Dancing With the Stars • TV: Reality shows • The Watcher | Post a Comment »

‘BB8′ Watchalong: What did they say?

August 27th, 2007, 12:09 pm by The Watcher

America’s Next Top Model?Has there been a season in “Big Brother” history where what we don’t see is so much more interesting than what we do? I don’t know, but let’s hope there never is again …

** I would have enjoyed the whole Eric’s girlfriend controversy more if I could have understood half of it. The pyscho Valley Girl accents of Jessica, Amber and Jen are tough enough to decipher one at a time; in concert it’s hopeless.

** If you didn’t already know that Dick was the dad and Dani was the kid, would you be able to tell by listening to their conversations? Probably not. If Dick doesn’t get it now, he never will.

** Goat! I’m still laughing at that one.

** Whom is America going to vote for Eric to kiss? Amber would be the awesome choice, but we don’t have that kind of collective imagination. The trouble with the obvious choice - Jessica - is it’s already happened. CBS just hasn’t shown it yet, but it’s all over the Web.

** Jessica is doing her best to lose a game that she had well in hand. Put up the Donatos, break up the power pair (which Amber and Jameka would be happy to help with) and gain a friend in Zach. But no, she puts up Amber and Zach, antagonizes Amber, loses Zach’s swing vote and gives the Donatos two chances to win the next HOH - at which point they will nominate Eric and Jessica, no questions asked.

Click through for news on the veto competition, etc.

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Posted in: Big Brother • TV: Reality shows • The Watcher | Post a Comment »

Monday’s recommended: ‘Californication’

August 27th, 2007, 6:00 am by The Watcher

Have another drink, HankWarning: This show is not for the easily offended. In fact, even regular viewers of late-night Cinemax might blush at some of what goes on.

In two episodes, David Duchovny’s character, Hank Moody, has had sex with a married woman, a 16-year-old girl and a Scientologist (the always delightful Paula Marshall) and puked on an expensive painting.

But it’s all done in good taste - just kidding.

What redeems the show is its inappropriate humor and the sad truth that Hank knows what he’s doing is wrong - he just can’t stop himself.

“Californication” airs at 10:30 p.m. If the kids aren’t in bed yet, it repeats at 11:30.

Posted in: TV: Scripted shows • The Watcher | 2 Comments »

The Sidekicks of the ‘Life of Ryan’

August 26th, 2007, 8:52 pm by PETER LARSEN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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MTV wasn’t happy with just one reality show about Orange County teenagers, so after finding success with “The Real Orange County” — set first in Laguna Beach, and now at Newport Harbor — the cable network sent its cameras all the way down to San Clemente for the new series, “Life of Ryan.”

Ryan is 17-year-old pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler, a kid who is rich and famous with a made-for-TV smile. And in the series, which debuts tonight, we see Ryan and his buddies doing all the normal things teenagers do. As described in this story about the show, that’s pretty much the point — to show the kid behind the star.

But you also get a lot of time with Ryan’s San Clemente buds, especially best friends Tony Panici and Casey Feitler — that’s Casey just behind Ryan in the photo. Last week the show taped them eating lunch with Ryan at Pedro’s Tacos — the most perfectly named taco joint in the county in our unbiased opinion — and afterwards we rang up Casey and Tony to find out what their experience of MTV reality has been like.

You’ll find their thoughts by clicking right here….

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Posted in: Pedro • Pop Culture | Post a Comment »

Tube Test: Come flop with me

August 26th, 2007, 6:15 am by The Watcher

Ted Bessell and friendLast week’s one-and-done extravaganza “Anchorwoman” got the Watcher thinking about other classic disasters of network television.

Here are the dates and descriptions of 10 series that arrived with great expectations but left after one season - or less. Your chore is to come up with the shows’ titles.

1. [1969] ABC tried out its own version of “Laugh-In,” and it was so bad it was cancelled after one episode - unheard of in those days.
2. [1972] This CBS sitcom starred Ted Bessell and Anita Gillette as a suburban couple with two children and an unusual pet.
3. [1975] CBS spent a fortune developing this American version of the BBC’s “Upstairs/Downstairs,” which had been a hit for PBS.
4. [1979] NBC’s answer to “The Love Boat” featured guest stars taking a trip on a bizarre luxury conveyance.
5. [1981] Two sisters from one of sitcomdom’s most famous fictional families return seven years later - with husbands in tow.
6. [1990] The most notorious police drama/musical in TV history.
7. [2000] A very popular music and movie star took a shot at a sitcom. The show’s title was the star’s first name.
8. [2004] Imagine a “Big Brother”-style reality series with no end date, where contestants could stay indefinitely. Now, imagine it being cancelled after seven episodes.
9. [2004] Heather Locklear and Blair Underwood starred as rival officials at a major airport.
10. [2006] ABC tried to catch “American Idol” fever with its most expensive summer series ever. It lasted two weeks.

For the answers, click through to the rest of the article.

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Posted in: The Watcher | Post a Comment »

Sunday’s recommended: ‘The Amazing Race: All-Stars’

August 26th, 2007, 6:00 am by The Watcher

You can tune a piano …Hate the idea of waiting until 2008 for “The Amazing Race”? No need.

Of course, Fox Reality’s presentation is a rerun, but the Races are suprisingly entertaining the second time around. Besides, today’s 10-hour extravaganza begins with episode 5, meaning Rob & Amber already are gone. And you still get the mine-seeking rats, the cookie orgy and Charla in a suit of armor. If you wish hard enough, maybe you’ll even get a different winner.

“The Amazing Race: All-Stars” begins at 1 p.m. and runs until 11.

Posted in: TV: Reality shows • The Watcher | Post a Comment »

Saturday’s recommended: ‘Masters of Science Fiction’

August 25th, 2007, 6:00 am by The Watcher

Joan Collins will be watchingToo bad no one but me is watching this mini-series, but props to ABC for sticking with it despite the miserable ratings.

“Masters of Science Fiction” concludes tonight with another all-star extravaganza, this one called “The Discarded.” It’s based on a story by sci-fi legend Harlan Ellison, features a screenplay by Ellison and Academy Award nominee Josh Olson, and stars Brian Dennehy, John Hurt and James Denton. None other than No. 1 himself, Jonathan Frakes, directs.

Ellison wrote dozens of episodes of TV shows throughout the years, most notably “The City on the Edge of Forever,” the only episode of the original “Star Trek” series that’s still worth watching.

Posted in: TV: Scripted shows • The Watcher | 2 Comments »

‘BB8′ Watchalong: Don’t mess with tradition

August 24th, 2007, 11:08 am by The Watcher

Farewell to the unitardWhat should have been on the most interesting show of the season wasn’t. Expect the expected:

** The show is so mired in its formula that it compresses the craziest few days of the season into 16 minutes - because that’s just how it’s done.

** Who doesn’t love a good commercial masquerading as show content? The thought of Dani and Amber on “Power of 10″ makes me pine for the days of “Celebrity Jeopardy” on “SNL.” “The Pen Is Mightier.”

** Nice work Julie Chen, completely sidestepping any pointed questions for Jen. Why would we want to know more about any of her many bizarre incidents, like this week’s meltdown or her several near fights with Dick? Jen started to talk about Dick’s behavior at one point, but Julie just let it roll by.

** Every time I am ready to declare Eric a smart player, he does something dumb. His farewell dis to Jen was completely unnecessary and might have cost him a jury vote.

** If Jessica doesn’t put up Dick and Dani, she’s an idiot. Jess has put herself in position to win the game, but she has to eliminate the power pair to do it.

Click through to the rest of the article to find out how the nominations went.

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Posted in: Big Brother • TV: Reality shows • The Watcher | 3 Comments »

Friday’s recommended: ‘Meerkat Manor’

August 24th, 2007, 6:00 am by The Watcher

Not catsFriday pickings are slim enough during the fall and winter; the summer is strictly famine time. One of the handful of show offering new episodes is season 3 of Animal Planet’s biggest hit, “Meerkat Manor.”

Everybody needs the occasional dose of goofy anthropomorphizing, and it doesn’t get any better than this series about the goings on in four “mobs” of these Kalahari inhabitants. New episodes at 8:30 are preceded by a rerun at 8.

By the way, Mitch is leading Animal Planet’s popularity poll with 16 percent of the vote.

Posted in: TV: Reality shows • The Watcher | Post a Comment »

There can only be nine top models

August 23rd, 2007, 8:40 pm by The Watcher

Saleisha, California’s lone entryThe CW has unveiled the cast for Cycle 9 of “America’s Next Top Model.” No local women in the New England-heavy lineup and only one from California at all.

The show starts Sept. 19. It was originally going to kick-off with a two-hour episode, but the CW is so eager to get its teen drama “Gossip Girl” going that it is trimming “ANTM” to an hour so it can move the “Gossip Girl” premiere up a week.

The hopefuls: Ambreal, 19, Dallas; Bianca, 18, New York; Chantal, 19, Austin, Texas; Ebony, 20, Chicago; Heather, 21, Valparaiso, Ind.; Janet, 22, Bainbridge, Ga.; Jenah, 18, Farmington, Conn.; Kimberly, 20, Ocala, Fla.; Lisa, 20, Jersey City, N.J.; Mila, 20, Boston; Saleisha, 21, Los Angeles; Sarah, 20, Heath, Mass; Victoria, 20, New Haven, Conn.

Posted in: TV: Reality shows • The Watcher | Post a Comment »

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